No Pain, No Gain
by Cizzymac
Summary: Keitaro is renowned for his ability to survive even the most brutal assaults on his body. However, this gift is slowly leaving him, and everyone must come to terms with him before it is too late. Rated for some violent scenes and adult situations.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: I in no way, shape, or form have any ownership of anything to do with Love Hina. This is Ken Akamatsu's baby. I'm just playing around with it. However, this is my story, and if you plagiarize from it, I will slap you silly!

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No Pain, No Gain: Prologue

It happened yet again. Invariably, at least once each day, the devil of ill luck hunched on his shoulder reared its dastardly head. Keitaro did not know why his female tenants would strut around the property half-naked, but, without fail, each time they did, some internal compass constantly led him right to where they were, or them to where he was, no matter where they were: the hot spring, any of the bathrooms, or the laundry room.

This time it occurred just outside the door to his room. He was scrubbing away at the hardwood floor by hand, loosening the many months' worth of muck and grime that was deposited there by heavy traffic going into and out of the manager's room. He had been at it for about ten minutes, humming some random tune, focusing so completely on his task that he failed to sense the brown-haired woman clad in naught but a bath towel tiptoeing towards him from the far end of the hall.

The woman glanced both to the right and to the left. Being seen by the other tenants dressed in such a manner around Keitaro would be, at minimum, embarrassing, if not scandalous. It was not a risk she was willing to take without precaution. "Keitaro," Naru Narusegawa whispered, trying to get the manager's attention.

Keitaro, upon hearing Naru's nearly imperceptible voice, merely paused for a moment, shook his head, and recommenced his scouring.

Naru rolled her eyes and squatted down over Keitaro's shoulder. He was as dumb as a box of rocks sometimes, she thought. "Keitaro," she called out to him a little louder.

Keitaro shook his head and chuckled without pausing in his work. "Now I'm hearing her voice in my head while I'm awake," he said under his breath, albeit plenty loud enough for the young woman hovering behind him to hear. Naru's face colored despite her best efforts to the contrary.

"Keitaro!" Naru barked, relenting on keeping quiet to spare both of them further embarrassment. The manager jumped backwards involuntarily, the scrubbing utensil he was using flying out of his grip as his arms jerked upward. Had Naru not been standing directly behind him, Keitaro might have kept his balance. As she was, he bumped into her, sending her sprawling to the floor. Unable to keep himself on his feet, Keitaro also fell backwards, landing directly on top of the young woman, his back to her front.

The scrub brush ended its flight by landing directly on Keitaro's forehead. "Ouch," Keitaro garbled, rubbing at the stricken spot with the towel that was now in his hand. "Where did I?" Keitaro asked himself out loud before feeling something writhe beneath him. Keitaro turned himself over precariously, having an inkling of what had occurred. His eyes met Naru's breasts for just an instant before he leapt off of her.

"N-N-N-N-N-N-Narusegawa," Keitaro stuttered, his voice honking from having pinched his nose shut to prevent a torrential downpour of blood from his nasal cavity. He tossed the towel in her direction, clamping his eyes shut and holding his free hand over them. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't mean to! Please!"

There was no audible response to his frantic apology. "Narusegawa?" Keitaro asked, poking an eye open only to see Naru, her face bright red with rage, stomping towards him as she finished wrapping her towel around her body. Keitaro could tell by the look in Naru's eyes that she likely could not hear anything, much less his voice, so he pitifully braced himself for impact.

"You stupid pervert!" Naru bellowed, sending a flying uppercut into Keitaro's jaw. Keitaro crashed into the ceiling, and as his limp body came back down, Naru executed a flawless roundhouse kick to his abdomen. Keitaro was launched like a rocket through the hallway, blasting through the outer wall as if it were paper mache. His limbs thrashed powerlessly as his body tumbled out of sight toward the horizon.

Naru held her fighting pose, her hand still shaking as she seethed in anger. Soon enough, the color began to drain from her face. "Every time, I swear. I can't even ask him to get the leaves out of the hot spring without him trying something like that." She stood up straight, feeling quite proud of herself, and sauntered off.

Naru felt something warm and wet under her foot as she stepped softly across the lengthy hallway. She raised her foot to look, and saw a deep red fluid smeared on the ball of her foot and on the floor where it fell. She raised her head slowly, looking towards the Keitaro-shaped hole in the far wall, her anger giving way to dread as she noticed more small droplets of the crimson substance standing out from the polished hardwood floor in a line leading to the Keitaro-shaped hole in the wall across the hallway.

Naru, feeling quite numb, peered at her right hand. Several more drops of blood were dashed upon her knuckles. Her eyes glazed over in shock, and her hand began to shake involuntarily. "Keitaro. What did I do?" Her eyes searing with tears, Naru dashed down the hall, bounding up the stairs to her room. The fluid on the floor quickly coagulated in the salty morning air blowing in from the newly created portal.

* * *

Author's Note: This is the beginning of an effort to retool this story to make it a better read overall. Almost all of the plot points will remain intact, save ones that are relatively weak for my tastes. Hopefully when it is done, it will be an even more memorable read for you dear readers. Thanks a lot for your support in this effort.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: As promised, here is the rewrite of the first chapter of this story. And lookie how much more there is to it now! Although it's still a little bit short for my tastes, I'd rather keep the chapters numbered as they were instead of messing with them. Enjoy!!! Oh, and I don't own Love Hina. Support Ken Akamatsu, damnit, or else I'm going to sic an angry Motoko on you!

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No Pain, No Gain: Chapter 1

Naru frantically paced around her room, unable to believe what occurred mere minutes ago. After a few moments, she stopped to catch her breath, looking down through watery eyes at her right hand. It was trembling, but moreover, it remained spotted with Keitaro's blood. Her respirations hastened at the sight, and she instinctively covered the damning evidence with her opposing hand, as if hiding it would make it so it never happened.

She sat on her bed, waiting, hoping, praying Keitaro would knock on her door and offer an apology, as he usually did. If he did, she promised herself she would never do any such thing to him ever again. And she would rightly apologize to him. But the minutes passed by, growing ever longer, mounting like a billowing storm cloud, and there was naught even a rustle outside of her door.

At last unable to stand the wait, visioning Keitaro lying mutilated in some back alley in town, Naru rose to her feet, declaring mentally that she must search for him herself. She let the towel wrapped around her torso fall to the floor beneath her feet, and she padded swiftly to her chest of drawers, rifling through the motley collection of garments for the first sensible outdoor attire she could find.

* * *

Five minutes after Naru decided to look for Keitaro herself, Kitsune, seated on one of the sofas in the first floor great room, was perusing the daily newspaper, glancing over yesterday's horse racing results. The daily print was nearly torn from her loose grip as Naru rushed past her, leaving a veritable gust of wind in her wake. "We're in quite the hurry today, aren't we?" Kitsune asked. Whipping the flimsy paper back into its original shape with a dexterous snap of her wrists, Kitsune did a double take after a passing glance at her best friend. "Naru, what's the matter?"

Naru was tying her shoes when Kitsune's follow-up question caused her head to jolt upwards. Kitsune's tone of voice lent credence to Naru's fear that she was caught running after the man she swore up and down to detesting.

Kitsune, perceptive as always, even with her always-closed eyes, called Naru's bluff. "Dressed like that?"

"Wha?" Naru stammered, finally looking down at herself. She somehow managed to throw on an orange sweatshirt over a plain white t-shirt. She also had a pair of green sweatpants, put on backwards, and one white and one gray sock under her white tennis shoes. Naru's face turned beet red, and she struggled to find a suitable answer for her attire.

Kitsune set her newspaper down, stood, and walked towards her friend. "Are you okay, sweetie? I could have sworn I heard some commotion upstairs. Did something happen?"

Why Kitsune decided to be sober at this of all times was lost on Naru. She felt as if she were quickly becoming the poster-child for Murphy's Law. "Ah, well…you see…the thing is…I, uh," she stammered, unable to formulate a coherent response.

The sliding front door flew open without warning from behind Naru. "Is that who you were going out to look for?" Kitsune rhetorically asked Naru, a mischievous smile playing across her face.

Naru flinched visibly at the remark before turning around to see a downtrodden Keitaro standing in the doorway, with his head turned down and to one side, avoiding her gaze. Other than his browbeaten demeanor, he appeared no worse for the wear, except for several crimson splotches across the front of his sweater.

Kitsune's mouth gaped as she noticed the red stains and asked with sincere concern, "Whoa, Keitaro, are you okay?"

"Yeah," came Keitaro's unusually flat reply. He stepped forward, into the foyer, pulling the door closed behind him. He kept his eyes affixed to the floor directly in front of his feet.

"Keitaro?" Naru began, tilting her head to the side to catch Keitaro's attention.

As Keitaro glanced upwards towards the girls standing before him, he was flummoxed by them staring at him with shock and awe etched onto their faces. "What's with you two?" he asked them.

"Dude, it seriously looks like you are bleeding," Kitsune stated, gesturing towards his abdomen for emphasis.

Keitaro furrowed his brow, then glanced down at his sweatshirt. The sight caused him to start. It truly did appear as if he were bleeding out. He felt around his abdomen, but he felt no discernable wounds. As his hands slipped into the voluminous pockets of his sweater, a sudden understanding dawned upon him. He raised his head, chuckling uneasily. "I'm okay. It's only ketchup."

Kitsune raised an eyebrow. Naru sweatdropped, her jaw hitting the floor. "Come again?" Kitsune asked.

"I said it's not blood, it's ketchup. Here, see?" Keitaro pulled a few small, ruptured packets from the pockets of his sweater, ending up with crimson colored fingers in the process. "I had a few packets that I forgot about in my pockets. I guess they burst open when you hit me that time. Oh, man, these stains are never going to come out!" Keitaro scoffed in disgust at his current state of dress.

Naru heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

Kitsune grinned mischievously. "I knew you were worried about him."

Naru swiveled around, lashing a finger in Kitsune's direction like a whip. "You hush!" Having given her friend a stern admonition, Naru whirled around to face Keitaro once more. "Ketchup? You had me scared to death, you idiot!" She gave Keitaro a hearty strike upside the head as he bowed down in contrition. "Getting me worked up over nothing! I don't know what I would have done if…" Naru lost her voice, her expression evolving to one of embarrassment as she realized she might have said too much.

"Sorry, Narusegawa. I didn't mean for that to happen. Nor did I mean to fall on you the way I did upstairs." Keitaro's gloomy expression returned for a few moments before he wrenched a wry smile upon his countenance. "If it's any consolation, that one did hurt a little more than usual. It's good that you are so energetic. Now, if you two will excuse me, I've got a floor to finish cleaning, let alone the fact I need to get myself cleaned up."

As Keitaro slipped past the two women, Naru reached out to him ever so slightly before pulling her hand back. "Um, Keitaro?"

Keitaro turned around and faced Naru with a smile. A glassy-eyed smile; obviously fabricated, as far as Kitsune could tell.

"I'm…" Naru began, but stopped. "C-could you please clean out the hot spring after you are done?" she asked with feigned lightheartedness.

"Sure, no problem. It was on my to-do list, anyway." Keitaro said. Giving a truncated wave, Keitaro turned and departed up the stairs to the second floor.

Naru watched him every step of the way until he was out of sight as a blitzkrieg rained upon her conscience. "_You stupid idiot, Naru! Just say it! 'I'm sorry, Keitaro.' It's not that hard!"_

Naru's internal dialog was cut off when Kitsune spoke up behind her. "Well, that was interesting. So, tell me, what happened this time? Did he grab your boobs again? Peek on you while you were changing? Tell me! Tell me!" Kitsune wheedled and cajoled, tugging playfully on Naru's arm.

Naru crossed her arms in defiance. "That' none of your business, thank you very much for not asking."

"Ooh, it really must have been good then. Let me get something to drink and you can tell me everything!" Kitsune skipped off to her room before Naru could protest.

Naru sighed deeply, rolling her eyes. She knew Kitsune would persist until she told her anyway. She plopped down in an armchair, thinking it better not to delay the inevitable. She looked towards the ceiling. "Forgive me, Keitaro."

* * *

Later that evening, the tenants of Hinata Sou, including Haruka, gathered in the freshly cleaned hot spring, courtesy of Keitaro, for the daily "meeting". Su, oblivious to the goings on as usual, splashed around in boredom. The other ladies, on the other hand, were gathered in a small circle tucked in the corner of the hot spring. The topic: the landlord of their apartments.

"Urashima did not seem himself today," Motoko stated. "His aura seemed darker than normal. Plus, he seems to have secluded himself in his room."

"Well, at least the place looks pristine," Kitsune commented. "Besides, isn't that what good managers do? Keep the place up and making themselves scarce around the tenants?"

"Sempai didn't eat very much of his dinner," Shinobu added petulantly. "Is it something I did? I don't want to be the reason he is sad."

"He's probably just studying," Naru concluded, waving a hand dismissively. "He has a lot of work to do if he wants to make it into Toudai next year."

Haruka took a long drag from her always-present cigarette, letting the given information settle before responding. "Point taken, Naru, but don't you also have a lot of work to do? You failed too, right?"

Naru hung her head in shame. "Don't remind me. It's one thing for someone like him to fail, but I was number one in the nation going into that damned test."

"Anyway," Haruka began again, not wanting to derail the focus of the conversation at hand, "it doesn't make sense. He's usually not like this. Did anything strange happen today?"

"Well, there was that incident this morning," Kitsune noted, a crooked smile playing on her face. Haruka raised an eyebrow in her direction, prompting for an explanation. "Well, he got knocked out of the building again by Naru for seeing her naked."

Haruka blinked several times. "How is that any different than normal?"

"Well, he seemed somewhat different when he came back. He appeared tired, if I had to hazard a guess," Kitsune explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

"It seems to me that slime got what he deserved yet again," Motoko said haughtily, folding her arms over her chest. "Not a day goes by that he doesn't peep at us, or touch one of us, or something else equally lascivious. He is fortunate to still draw breath, as far as I am concerned."

"Motoko-sempai, don't say things like that. Urashima-sempai isn't that bad," Shinobu said bashfully, blushing slightly as she spoke of her believed-to-be secret crush.

"Shinobu's right," Su piped in, making her opinion known. "I like Keitaro. It's no fun when he's not in a good mood."

"I really don't have an opinion either way," Kitsune said with a shrug. "He's never really done anything to me directly."

"You just don't understand, Kitsune," Naru stated. "If you had to deal with what Motoko-chan and I deal with on an everyday basis, you likely would have choked him out in his sleep by now. I think we have shown a good amount of restraint."

Haruka let out a chuckle, shaking her head in disbelief. "Do you honestly believe that, Naru? I know my nephew is a little dim-witted and slow on the uptake at times, but I also know that he would never do anything to intentionally harm another person, let alone those under his charge. I would think that would have been plainly obvious to you of all people by now."

"What are you saying, Haruka-san? You speak as if we enjoy putting him in his place," Naru rebutted.

Haruka looked Naru dead in the eyes and asked, "Am I wrong?"

"Of course you are, Haruka-san," Motoko replied in Naru's, not to mention her own, defense. "We are just doing what we believe is necessary to protect Shinobu-chan and Su-chan."

Kitsune spluttered, resenting being left out of the equation. "What am I, chopped liver?"

"You just said yourself that he's never done anything like that to you, Kitsune," Naru reminded her.

"Even still, don't leave me out! Even little-old me needs protection from big, bad Keitaro," Kitsune said, raising the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically.

Haruka sighed, flicking her spent cigarette butt onto the cobblestone walkway.

"Sorry to bust your bubbles, but I know Keitaro better than all of you put together. He's a righteous man, regardless of what you all think. Sure, he misled you about being a _Toudai-sei_, but that was partly my own fault. I made a faulty assumption about him." Haruka paused and looked at the women seated around her. "And I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one that did. And if some white lie is the worst he has done to you, then I think he deserves a lot of credit for dealing with what you've dished out to him."

That got everyone's attention. Naru and Motoko looked at each other, each hoping the other would give a suitable response to defend their position. Something that showed Keitaro's true, evil nature. But neither of them could respond. Nor could any of the others, who all had their heads hung down in shame. There was nothing even remotely evil they could say about him. They could call him a victim of circumstance, or snake bitten when it came to luck, but each knew his value, even if she could not articulate it.

"Well, I've said my peace; just something to think about," Haruka said nonchalantly, rising out of the hot spring. After toweling off, she bade her company goodnight, and entered the changing room, leaving the rest with their thoughts. Each sat unmoving for several minutes, reflecting upon her past dealings with her landlord.

Naru finally broke the silence. "Do you think we are really abusing him?"

Keitaro sat at his desk, scribbling down notes as he read from a college-level math textbook. "I don't know why I'm bothering with this," he said aloud. "It's not like I understand any of this stuff I'm writing down." He sat back in his chair, wiggling his pencil back and forth between his thumb and forefinger. He gazed up towards the hole in his ceiling, ever covered by a sheet of plywood. He could hear the object of his affection walking around her room with heavy footsteps, and his eyes followed the sound from her movements. She was never the graceful one, but that only served to attract him to her ever the more.

"I wonder what she is doing? Maybe I should ask for her help?" Keitaro shook his head vigorously in frustration. "I can't rely on her help for every little thing. I need to figure this out on my own." Leaning back forward, he returned his attention to his studies, redoubling his efforts.

Three minutes later…

Keitaro sat back in disgust, flipping his pencil into the air, watching as it tumbled end over end, landing and bouncing around before it came to rest on his desk. He had no idea what he was doing. The equations before him might as well have been written in Greek. No matter what he did, his solutions never matched the answer sheet provided with the text. He stifled a yawn and rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. "I guess I should just stop for today. I'm not getting anywhere with this. I'll just have to ask Narusegawa to help me with this tomorrow."

Keitaro stood from his desk and removed his glasses, letting them fall into the gap between the pages of his open textbook. He walked towards his futon, reaching his arms towards the ceiling in a luxurious stretch. As he leaned backwards, a crushing pain in his abdomen forced the air out of his lungs with an excruciatingly high-pitched scream, forcing him to his knees as he curled inward. He gasped for air, but the throbbing in his center caused his lungs to buck at the attempt.

The debilitating pain relented after several moments, but Keitaro remained in his fetal position, fearing that the slightest motion might cause the wracking to return. Suddenly hearing shuffling coming from above him, Keitaro reached his feet just as Naru's head poked through the overhead portico. He tried his best to ignore the intense blaze of pain eating away at his stomach. "What the hell was that? Are you okay?" Naru asked.

Keitaro chuckled through the agony, trying to set Naru at ease. "Y-yeah. I slipped and fell is all." He did his best to keep his voice even, but he was unsure of his level of success.

Naru tweaked her head to the side, squinting at Keitaro for a moment. Had she been wearing her glasses, she might have noticed the sweat pouring off of him and the obvious look of distress on his face. Instead, she smirked and muttered, "Klutz," lifting her head back through the portal.

After Naru replaced the board covering the hole, Keitaro crumbled to his knees, wheezing for air. He clenched his teeth as several tears fell from his eyes from his suffering. He panted heavily as he raised his torso upright to lift his shirt. "W-what the hell?" he asked himself as he stared down at his belly. His entire abdomen was covered with an enormous dark blue and red contusion, stretching from the bottom of his sternum to his pubic area, across the entire front of his body.

The sight making him queasy, Keitaro collapsed onto his futon. He wiped sweat from his brow with his forearm. "What is wrong with me?" he asked, but the walls around him offered naught even a single answer.

* * *

A/N: How do you like them apples? I think this is far superior to version 1, but what do you think? After all, this is for you, dear reader, more than it is for me. Leave a review if you care, and haven't already for this chapter. If not, just shoot me a private message or whatever. Thanks again for reading. You guys are the best.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: On Prologue

No Pain, No Gain: Chapter 2

Keitaro woke up to the sound of his alarm, and he turned to shut it off before collapsing onto his back in agony. He had completely forgotten about his injury. His abdomen was so sore he felt like he had done a thousand sit-ups with a burly Drill Sergeant constantly punching him in the gut. Just sitting up to turn off his alarm clock was quite a feat that left him dripping with sweat and panting like a dehydrated dog. The pain quickly subsided when he finally did stand up. However, a dull ache remained in its wake.

Lifting his shirt to check the enormous bruise again, he found that it was no better. In fact, it spread almost beyond his range of vision on his back on both sides. The red spots had dulled into a full purple color. "At least it's healing," he said aloud. Why it did not heal immediately was lost on him, though. Naru had not hit him any harder than she normally did. In fact, the attack was much less potent than any harm Motoko had put on him in recent memory. His face paled when he considered how much damage Motoko could have done to him.

Putting that thought out of his mind, Keitaro realized he could hardly be seen in this state in front of the girls. He quickly surmised that he must hide his injury, as to not draw any undue attention to himself. That was his conscious reasoning anyway. Deep down, he wanted to protect Naru and her feelings. He did not want to show that she could physically hurt him.

Keitaro quickly realized that his predicament was much worse than he first thought. He could barely raise his own arms over his head without wincing in pain, much less being able to do simple things like change his own clothes. Keeping up with his daily managerial duties was an utter impossibility at this point. He needed time to heal.

While he changed his clothes, he pondered over what to do about his situation. Not only was the brainstorming helping him come to a conclusion about his problem, it also helped him withstand the constant, punishing pain. Be the time he got his pants buttoned, he was lightheaded and sweating profusely, but he had an idea. Even if it only bought him a day or two, he would only do what chores he could without the pain being unbearable, then lock himself away in his room and "study". In reality, he wanted to sleep off the pain.

With a plan of action in hand, Keitaro approached his door, sliding it open with just enough room to poke his head out. He swiftly looked to the left and right to make sure no one was in the hallway, let himself out of his room, and padded towards the washroom at the end of the hallway. Once there, he washed his face, brushed his teeth, and groomed himself to look as presentable as possible, given the circumstances.

Steeling his nerves, Keitaro went downstairs and faced the firing squad. "Ohayo gozaimasu," Shinobu greeted her sempai as he entered the dining hall.

"Ohayo," Keitaro responded with his best fake smile. The injury ached even when he was not moving around, and it throbbed when he did. Moving as quickly as possible, Keitaro approached his seat and slowly lowered himself into it, gritting his teeth and exhaling as he did. He silently thanked God that Su did not try to jump him as he passed.

Naru, seated next to Keitaro, felt something stiff about Keitaro's demeanor. "Are you okay, Keitaro? Hurt yourself last night when you fell?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah. I guess you could say that, Narusegawa," Keitaro lied. The more attention he could deflect away from yesterday's incident the better. "Anyway," Keitaro changed the subject quickly, "Let's eat! I'm famished."

"Itadakimasu!" they all shouted in unison, as was their custom. Everyone dug in, while Keitaro took his time eating. Any distension in his belly was sure to wrack him with even more pain, he was sure. While he normally ate until he was stuffed with Shinobu's superb cooking, this time he only ate until he was satiated.

While the others served themselves seconds, Keitaro announced he was full. He gathered his courage and tried to stand, but a sharp stabbing pain in his side caused a sharp gasp to escape his mouth.

Kitsune noticed Keitaro wince and asked if he was feeling all right. "I'm fine, Kitsune-san," Keitaro nervously replied, trying to hold back a shriek. "I'm just going to get an early start today, if you will excuse me."

Keitaro reached the door, sighing in relief. Just as we was about to step through the portal to freedom, Kitsune screamed, "Chotto matte, Keitaro!" He froze in horror. The jig was up. He was busted, and he now had to explain how he got hurt so badly.

Keitaro slowly turned to face his fate. Kitsune had a stern look on her face. The two eldest stared each other down for a moment. Keitaro was scared out of his wits. Then, suddenly, Kitsune's demeanor changed. "Uh, I'm a little short with rent this month. Do you mind if I pay you a couple days late?"

Keitaro nearly facefaulted, but somehow managed to keep his balance and his wits about him. "That's no problem, Kitsune-san. Just pay me when you can," Keitaro replied, a giant weight lifting from his shoulders.

Kitsune put her hands together and bowed slightly at her manager, saying, "Domo!" Keitaro weakly smiled at the fox-girl before turning to flee before something else came up.

Over the next several days, Keitaro managed to hide his affliction without drawing much attention to him. The residents thought it quite strange how Keitaro seemed to be avoiding them, but like Kitsune said before, his transparency just showed his improving managerial skills.

Keitaro, however, was a complete wreck. He had to deal with the endless, wracking pain in his abdomen without even flinching for hours on end for two days. On one occasion after completing a task for Shinobu, he had to run to the bathroom to vomit. He remained strong through this, and let no one see him in pain. The only relief he had was sitting at his desk studying. He wanted someone to talk to, to help him deal with the pain. Interestingly enough, the person he longed for most was the one who put him in the misery he was experiencing.

The next morning, the sound of chirping birds woke Keitaro from his quasi-peaceful slumber. He had fallen asleep at his desk, and sat up, pulling away the notebook paper sticking to his cheek. He squinted at the fuzzy image of writing on the paper before feeling around the desk for his glasses. He quickly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and placed his large spectacles over his nose. He groaned slightly at the drool stain on it. He would have to write that page over again.

Keitaro put the paper down and stood up, stretching his arms up towards the ceiling. "Wait a minute," he murmured. Excitedly, he lifted his shirt, and his abdomen was covered with its normal, pale color. There was no trace of the bruise at all. A grin crept across Keitaro's face. "Finally," he said, thankful that his ordeal was finally over.

"I'm really getting sick of him hibernating in his room, as if there was nothing to get done around here," Naru barked, slamming a fist into the dining room table.

Kitsune glanced around the spotless dining room, "Everything looks in order to me, Naru. Maybe you mean he needs to do something else, eh?" Kitsune emphasized the word "do" in such a manner to suggest something somewhat more risqué. She winked to further underline her point.

Naru couldn't help but blush, along with the rest of the inhabitants of Hinata Sou, who were all seated around the table. "W-what do you mean?"

Kitsune giggled. "You're so cute when you blush, Naru-chan. I think you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Horns sprouted from Naru's head. "Are you insane? What makes you even think I would have anything to do with that unreliable dolt? I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole!"

"Wouldn't touch whom with a ten foot pole, Narusegawa?" an all too familiar voice asked.

Naru immediately felt smaller than a gnat. While Su, Shinobu and Motoko's eyes bugged out of their heads, Kitsune covered her mouth and snickered. Naru quickly turned around to face a smiling Keitaro. She would have noticed his much improved appearance, had she not been scared half to death. "Keitaro," Naru squeaked.

"Who are you girls talking about?" Keitaro asked, seemingly oblivious.

After a too-long moment of pause… "Oh, just some jerk from Sasaki that was hitting on her the other day," Kitsune said, bailing out her friend.

Keitaro chuckled, surprisingly unfazed by the thought of someone hitting on his would-be girlfriend. "Well, there are a lot of wierdos that attend there."

As Keitaro moved to take his seat at the breakfast table, Motoko muttered, "You are one to talk," under her breath.

"What was that, Motoko-chan?"

Motoko quickly averted her eyes and tried in vain to conceal the blood rushing to her face. "N-nothing. Never mind."

Shinobu watched in quiet curiosity as her sempai made his way across the room. Then it came upon her. "Ah, you are looking much better now, Urashima-sempai."

"I'm feeling much better, Shinobu-chan. And I'm completely famished. I could eat the ass out of a dead rhinoceros."

Su snickered at Keitaro's joke while Kitsune tossed away her chopsticks. "Well, I 'was' hungry," she noted.

Keitaro laughed and apologized. "Itadakimasu!"

Naru caught herself staring at Keitaro with a contented smile on her face after she let out a huge internal sigh. She was happy Keitaro was feeling better and back to normal. She shook her head vehemently, however, still locked in heated combat with her feelings. She told herself she was happy as a tenant, not as a woman. Her heart continued to struggle against her logic.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the remainder of that day, but the happiness enveloping Hinata Sou was not to last long.

Keitaro had waited until the girls had all come back in from their daily ritual bath in the hot springs. After hearing sounds of the girls giggling and chatting die away, he let himself out of his room, clad in only a towel, which was wrapped around his waist.

Making sure the coast was clear, Keitaro quickly dashed down the stairs towards the rear of the building. Before opening the sliding door to the hot spring, he taped a warning sign to it, which read, "WARNING: KEITARO IN HOT SPRING!"

Confident his precautionary measure was easily visible and readable from anywhere near the door, Keitaro let himself out. There was a new moon out that evening, meaning there was nearly no ambient light. That was the way Keitaro wanted it. The darkness made him feel more comfortable should there be anyone peeking in on him. That idea was merely in his mind. It made him feel a little better about his self-confidence anyway.

Keitaro dropped his towel and glasses onto the rock near the edge of the pool and slowly dipped himself into the hot water. A relaxed sigh escaped his lips as the steaming water reached his chest. This was exactly what he needed after spending much of the day catching up on things he couldn't do when he was injured.

Keitaro mused over the happenings of the day while the quiet sound of the water filter filled the area, allowing him to further relax. The noted that the girls were in a particularly good mood that day. Even the normally reserved and cold Motoko seemed almost magnanimous, actually greeting him with a nod and a smile when they passed each other.

Naru then appeared in Keitaro's mind. She seemed the most pleased among the group that he was in better spirits. "_She probably was just feeling guilty for the other day,_" he concluded to himself. Even still, her smile was refreshing to see, after all the negativity surrounding her after the dreaded Toudai test failure. So, in the end, it was worth it to see her happy again.

Drowsiness began to envelop Keitaro as he slouched further against the wall of the hot spring. A moment after he closed his eyes, he heard a disturbance in the water on the other side of the pool. His eyes snapped open to look, but the sound disappeared as quickly as it came. He couldn't make out anything in the darkness anyway, even with his glasses. After several seconds, Keitaro once again lay back against the wall and closed his eyes.

Another "sploosh" sound rang in Keitaro's ears, but this time it was much closer to him than the last one. He once again looked in the direction of the sound, and this time he made out a blurry silhouette of a dark figure approaching him.

Before Keitaro even had a chance to react, the figure tripped over Keitaro's outstretched legs. The figure screamed as it fell directly on top of Keitaro, who caught the surprisingly light person in his arms.

The voice was hauntingly familiar, and Keitaro squinted at the person's face to try to make out to whom it belonged. "Are you okay?" he asked in his most soothing voice as the face in front of him sharpened focus. The body he held was as stiff as a board.

Half-closed brown eyes. Wet, long hair. Pale, soft skin. "Oh shit," Keitaro cursed despite himself. "I, I m-m-mean, m-m-m-Motoko-chan!" Keitaro quickly became aware that he was holding Motoko close to himself, and her breasts were pressed against his chest.

Motoko blushed at first, realizing she was mere inches away from Keitaro's face. That feeling quickly led to anger, then to a boiling fury. After Keitaro released her, she quickly removed her sword from its hiding place. She always kept it at her side, especially for moments like this. "Urashima," she intoned, her voice deepening to a demon-like bass.

Keitaro was frozen in place, like a statue created to show true fear. He desperately tried to speak, but no words would come out of his mouth. "_You're a dead man, now,_" his consciousness said, almost chuckling at his fate.

"I will now end your pitiful, perverted existence," Motoko bellowed in perfect executioner fashion. She raised her sword over her head. Keitaro, shaking in horror, slowly pointed a finger at Motoko's exposed chest, causing the swordswoman to look down at her bare self.

The final straw snapped in Motoko's head like an enormous rubber band. She howled out in rage, launching a huge volley of ki energy at her manager, which hit him squarely. His diminutive frame unable to hold the force at bay, Keitaro's body was blasted out of the hot spring and into the air, where he quickly faded into the night sky.

Motoko harrumphed in satisfaction after watching Keitaro fly into the night. She lowered her sword, and it's tip fell into the hot spring. She failed to notice the blood clinging to her weapon being washed away in the water, and the fluid quickly dispersed in the chlorinated spring.

Motoko stifled a yawn. "When did I fall asleep? I should kill those girls for leaving me here alone." As Motoko toweled her body dry, an infinitesimal voice spoke in her mind, "Was that really his fault?" The voice, however, was far too small for her to consciously hear.

Shinobu yawned as she groggily made her way down the stairs to the foyer. Her stomach barked at her like a dog begging for food. "Hai, hai," she said, patting her growling tummy. She turned the corner, rubbing one eye while watching where she was going in the darkness with the other. She slammed on the brakes just before bashing her knee into a table. She cursed the table for being in her way before walking around it.

As Shinobu reached for the doorknob leading to the kitchen, she heard the front door hastily slide open and shut. She whirled around, expecting to confront some robber or worse. What she did see made her gasp just the same.

When Shinobu flipped the lights on, in front of her stood Keitaro, naked as the day he was born, holding one hand over his manhood, while holding the other over his face. There was dried blood splattered all over the upper portion of his chest.

Keitaro was shivering, but every muscle in his body locked up when his eyes met Shinobu. The young woman stood across from him, her eyes agape, holding one hand over her gaping mouth while the other remained on the light switch. She looked even more frightened than he was.

"S…Sempai!"

A/N: This would have looked a lot cleaner but is experiencing some issues. Thanks for reading and leave me a review please.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: I don't own these characters. But this story is mine, so there! Enjoy this new-and-improved edit!

No Pain No Gain: Chapter 3

The lights suddenly and mysteriously clicked on, and Keitaro froze in his tracks. As his eyes darted about the instantly bright room, he nearly had an aneurysm when he saw Shinobu standing across the hall from him, her hand seemingly glued to the light switch, gawking at him with terror-stricken eyes. Not only was he standing stark naked in front of the young teen, he also had a large amount of blood on his body from the launch and fall following Motoko's attack upon him no more than twenty minutes earlier.

After a few blinks of her eyes, Shinobu snapped out of her daze. "Sempai," she cried out, rushing over to her landlord. Much to Keitaro's confusion and relief, Shinobu paid no attention to his current state of dress, instead addressing the issue of his blood-splattered torso. "Urashima-sempai, what happened to you? Did you get mugged?"

With a highly nasal voice, Keitaro replied, "In a manner of speaking." He sounded like he was whistling through his nose while he spoke. A globule of blood dropped from his nose and splattered on the hardwood floor between his feet.

Shinobu's motherly instincts kicked into gear. She ordered Keitaro into the kitchen and to sit in a dining-room chair while she got him a towel to cover himself and a first aid kit. After telling Keitaro to tilt his head backwards to help stop the bleeding coming from his nose, Shinobu rushed off, flapping her arms like a bird taking flight.

While Keitaro waited, he wracked his brain for a reasonable explanation of what might have happened that Shinobu would believe that did not involve a flight on the Shinmeiryu Express. She was naïve enough to believe anything he said, but Keitaro had gotten into trouble with lying to Shinobu before. He hated the feeling that he needed to lie, especially to her, since she was so innocent.

Any lie he told her was sure to backfire on him. But what other choice was there? Would she honestly believe the truth? Would she tell the others? It was not likely that she would keep this sort of thing to herself, and the very thought of everyone knowing about this scenario would only spell more trouble for him.

Shinobu reappeared, and Keitaro flinched when she entered, thinking it was someone else. "Here you go," Shinobu said, thrusting an oversized towel in Keitaro's direction as she looked the other way. Keitaro quickly wrapped the towel around himself, taking care not to get blood on the fabric. He immediately felt much more comfortable, but was still very nervous. Anyone could walk in at any moment, and if that were to happen given the current circumstance, he was as good as dead.

Shinobu placed the first aid kit on the table, and then moved to the kitchen sink to dampen a washcloth. When she returned, she said, "Okay, let's see what we've got here."

Keitaro lowered his hand from his face, which was covered in dried blood from his nose to his chin. Shinobu began to gently pat away the blood from Keitaro's face with the washcloth. "How does it look?" Keitaro asked, still whistling through his nose.

"We'll see when I get it all cleaned up." Keitaro winced and gasped when Shinobu began to clean his nasal area. "Sorry, Sempai. I think your nose might be broken." Keitaro sighed, and his breath tickled Shinobu's arm, which was still in close proximity to his mouth. "Don't worry, I can fix it up in a jiffy."

"What to you mean, fix?" Keitaro asked, pulling away slightly from the girl hovering over him, as he now felt more than just a little nervous.

"It has to be put back in place," Shinobu replied sternly.

"And you know how to do that?" Keitaro asked, giving Shinobu an incredulous look.

"Yes. When your family owns a restaurant that serves alcohol, you tend to pick up a few things about first aid," Shinobu answered with a hint of a smile.

"Oh, I see," Keitaro mumbled. He was still perplexed, let alone surprised, that someone so young could possibly know how to set bones. It seemed believable enough, however, given the calmness in her voice. She also had no qualms about cleaning the blood from his face. He figured her for one that would pass out at the sight of blood. Another day, another revelation.

"Okay, I think we should try to reset the bone now, before it starts to swell up too much," Shinobu said before walking away. Keitaro watched her as she left the room momentarily, then returned with a pair of chopsticks.

"What's with the chopsticks?" Keitaro asked, fearful she was going to pry them up into his nose.

"These are for you to bite down on," Shinobu responded with a sincere looking smile. Keitaro, however, was still apprehensive about the idea of letting someone with no medical experience fix his busted nose. "Please Sempai, before it swells up too much. If that happens, there's nothing I'll be able to do to help."

Keitaro snatched the chopsticks from Shinobu's open hand. "Let's get this over with then," he said, resigning himself to his fate.

"Forgive me for this," Shinobu apologized before moving into position, climbing into and straddling his lap.

"Whoa, Shinobu-chan! What are you doing?" Keitaro asked as his nose threatened to begin spurting blood once more.

"I need to be this close to get enough leverage. Just stay still please."

Shinobu's smooth response helped Keitaro to relax. She wasn't even blushing. He also was aware, however, that if anyone saw this situation: Keitaro clothed in nothing but a towel appearing as if he were receiving a lap dance from the youngest resident in the household, he would be a goner for certain. Exhaling deeply, Keitaro put the chopsticks in his mouth and braced himself. The quicker this was completed, the better for all parties involved.

Shinobu put the index and middle fingers of her right hand into Keitaro's nostrils. He couldn't help but wince in pain just from that. "Ready?" Shinobu asked.

Keitaro responded with an affirmative grunt, and bit down as hard as he could on the chopsticks and clamped his eyes shut.

"Ichi, ni…" Shinobu counted in her native tongue softly before sharply yanking Keitaro's nose out and up, locking it back into the correct position with several loud pops and crunches. Keitaro yelped in agony, and Shinobu covered his mouth with her free hand to deaden the sound.

A stream of tears rolled down Keitaro's cheeks as he sobbed. He had never experienced so much pain in his life. It hurt more having it fixed than when it was broken. It felt as if a firecracker was detonated in his nasal cavity. He even felt the pain strike in waves in his eyes and ears.

"It's okay," Shinobu cooed, stroking Keitaro's hair, "it's all over now." It pained her to see him in so much pain, but she forced herself to remain stoic, or else she would have ended up a sobbing mess along with him. She took the chopsticks from Keitaro's mouth and discarded them on the table.

After a few minutes, Keitaro's tears stopped, and the pain dulled to a throbbing ache. Shinobu's voice and soft touch helped to calm him as well. After clearing the blood from his nostrils once more, she retrieved an icepack from the freezer and ordered him to hold it there for a while to keep the swelling down.

"Thanks for helping me, Shinobu-chan," Keitaro said weakly, his voice muffled through the washcloth wrapped around the icepack. His voice no longer sounded as nasal, though that would soon change again as his nose began to swell from being adjusted back into place.

"No problem, Sempai. It's the least I can do for you," Shinobu replied with a grin. Keitaro furrowed his brow at the response. The way she added and emphasized "for you" at the end of that statement seemed peculiar to him.

"You say that as if you owe me something," Keitaro responded, trying to sound aloof, though in reality, he was probing for what she really meant.

"Don't I?" Shinobu asked, cocking her head at Keitaro. "After all, you are letting me live here for next to nothing simply out of the goodness of your own heart. I don't know where I would be right now if it weren't for you. So something like this is nothing compared to what you have done for me."

Keitaro could not believe what he was hearing. He was just caught in the most embarrassing situation in his entire life, and this girl went completely out of her way to help him. And to think that for her it was nothing to help him in his direst of straits? The very thought seemed preposterous. No one had ever cared about him as much as she did, not even his own parents.

The two sat together in relative silence for a few moments. As Keitaro pondered over Shinobu's feelings, logic intervened. "_I don't know where I would be without you_," she had said. Suddenly, everything made perfect sense. No one had cared for her as much as he had either. Not even her own parents, who were so completely wrapped up in their own problems that they ostracized their own daughter.

"I guess we have a few things in common, Shinobu-chan," Keitaro garbled.

Shinobu peered at Keitaro quizzically, but he quickly changed the topic before piquing her interest even more. "So, how does it look, Doc?" Keitaro removed the ice from his face so Shinobu could assess the damage.

Shinobu gave Keitaro's face a quick once-over, tilting his head side-to-side with her hands. The entire area was red and tender, but there was no other structural damage that she could see by glancing at it. "Well, everything looks okay to me, but it's going to leave a pretty good sized bruise."

Keitaro's heart sank into his belly. Something like that would be significantly more difficult to conceal from the others. What to do? What to do? Disappear for a few days? No, that would be too obvious. Pretend to be sick? That might work for a while, but it wouldn't keep everyone away for long. Who knew how long it might take for this wound to heal?

Shinobu could see the concern written on Keitaro's face. He was worried about waltzing around with a broken nose. Especially if the way he was dressed when he returned was discovered, everyone would think he got beat up trying to molest some woman on the streets. After all, she thought higher of him than the others, and even she thought he got himself into some trouble. He would never live something like that down. "I'll keep this a secret between just you and me, Sempai. I'll stop by your room first thing in the morning to check up on you, too. I have something that I believe will help you."

"Thanks again, Shinobu-chan," Keitaro replied. "I'm sorry to have kept you up so late. You can go back to bed now. I can help myself back to my room."

"It's really no problem at all. I am more than willing to help."

Keitaro smiled at the teenager, who responded with one of her own. Before leaving, Shinobu reminded him to keep the ice pack on it for no longer than 15 minutes at a time.

"Good night," Shinobu said politely, bowing at the waist before turning to leave.

"See you tomorrow," Keitaro returned and watched as Shinobu left the room. "What a sweetheart," he muttered before catching himself. "What am I saying?"

Shinobu, now walking up the stairs, couldn't wipe the grin off of her face. That entire experience left her giddy with butterflies in her stomach. She finally had her moment with Keitaro, a moment that was theirs and theirs alone. Her stomach continued to rumble persistently, but she didn't even notice, and the stream of thoughts running into her mind were put aside as she had things to prepare for in the morning.

* * *

"Stop moving, please."

"But it hurts."

"Sorry, but you still need to stay still."

"Ouch!"

"Oh, will you stop whining and be a man, please?"

"I'm really trying, okay?"

…

…

…

"Done! Here!"

Shinobu handed a mirror to Keitaro. He gasped at his reflection, blinking several times as if he thought he was hallucinating. The bright purple splotches that had previously covered his nasal area were completely gone, covered entirely by Shinobu's expertly applied makeup.

"This is incredible, Shinobu-chan. How did you?" Keitaro let his voice trail off, still in shock over Shinobu's work as he craned his neck from side to side.

"Kitsune-san as well as a few friends at school taught me a few tricks," Shinobu explained merrily.

"This is great! I mean, looking at myself, I can hardly tell that this is a makeup job at all."

"It's my pleasure, Sempai. I'll be more than happy to do this for you until the bruising goes away," Shinobu said.

"I might just have to take you up on that offer. I'll pay you back somehow. Anything you want!"

Shinobu blushed at Keitaro's response. She had to mentally shake off the myriad of not-so-subtle ideas that popped into her mind. "Don't worry about it, Sempai. It's no big deal."

"Yes it is! You are really going out of your way to help me. How about if I take you out for lunch this weekend, or something like that?"

"_Take me out?" _Shinobu thought._ "He wants to take me out on a date? A date with sempai? I must be dreaming. This is all just too good to be true! What am I doing? Say yes, you idiot!_"

"O-okay," Shinobu accepted, using every ounce of strength left in her brain to keep from jumping all over Keitaro.

"Okay, then. I guess you should probably sneak out now before everyone else wakes up and wonders where you are," Keitaro said, cautious as always.

"Okay!"

…

…

…

"Uh, Shinobu-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Are you leaving?"

"Oh, yeah!"

Shinobu poked her head out of Keitaro's door and glanced both ways to make sure the coast was clear. "I'll see you later," she said, waving at Keitaro and slipping out of the room with her makeup bag in tow.

* * *

Shinobu's excellent work managed to fool the other girls. Keitaro was on the receiving end of several peculiar glances and more than one comment on how cute he looked from the monkey girl and the drunkard, but otherwise, no one paid any mind to how he looked. For the first time in his young life, he was thankful no one paid close interest to his facial appearance.

Like last time, Keitaro engrossed himself in his household chores and studying, avoiding contact with anyone other than Shinobu as much as possible. It began to wear on him, however. He hated avoiding the others, both personally and professionally. Not only did it make it appear that he was being a lazy manager, it also felt like he was putting a barrier between himself and the women, which would make the other even more suspicious.

He especially detested keeping himself away from Naru. In his own self-loathing, warped mind, he feared that she would think he was giving up on her, freeing her to be able to be with some other man, or worse, she may assume he was seeing someone else and trying to hide that fact. He forced himself to set these feelings aside, constantly telling himself he was doing the right thing.

Otherwise, the weekend came rather quickly. Naturally, Shinobu was in one of her best moods that Saturday morning, humming a cheerful, nondescript tune over her chores. She could hardly contain her excitement and occasionally allowed it to take control, causing her to bounce around whatever room she occupied at the time. One such loss of control was noticed by her arch-nemesis, at least when it came to Keitaro.

"Hey, Shinobu-chan. You seem awfully bubbly this morning." Naru said, leaning against the doorjamb, her arms folded across her chest and her head tilted slightly in amusement. Shinobu immediately froze, returning to hanging her laundry nonchalantly, hoping in vain that her spontaneous improvised dance somehow went unnoticed.

"Oh, Narusegawa-sempai," Shinobu returned with her usual smile, feigning ignorance, "how long have you been standing there?"

It was Naru's turn to lie. "I just came up to see if the lines were free. It's a perfect day for laundry." In fact, she had been watching the young teen for at least the last several minutes. Naru leaned against the railing of the balcony, letting the crisp breeze blow her hair around her face.

Shinobu glanced nervously in Naru's direction. Recently, she always felt uneasy around her. She only realized recently that it was because of her raging jealousy that Naru held all of the keys to Keitaro's heart and she never stood a chance against her. She would never dare admit it, much less voice her opinion about it.

"Oh, I see," Shinobu stated plainly, returning to her duties.

"Hey, Shinobu-chan?"

Shinobu gritted her teeth in frustration. She somehow knew Naru would try to strike up a conversation. "What is it?" she asked, trying to show no malice in her tone, continuing her task of pinning her shirts to the lines.

"What do you think of Keitaro recently?" Naru asked.

That got Shinobu's attention. She paused for a moment, and nearly blurted out the whole thing, as if she were had about her and Keitaro's goings on the other night and the next morning. Thankfully, for both of their sakes, she caught herself before letting the cat out of the bag. "W-what do you mean, Naru-sempai?" she asked, playing the fool. Try as she might, however, Shinobu couldn't keep the redness from creeping to her face.

Naru giggled at Shinobu's infallible display of cuteness. "I mean, do you think he's okay? We hardly ever see him around anymore and I'm worr-er-well concerned about our landlord. And I heard from Kitsune that you two had a little chat the other morning, so I figured you might know something."

"_That sly devil!_" Shinobu burst out in her mind. Shinobu somehow managed to manufacture a brilliant story on the fly about needing help with schoolwork. "And I know you aren't much of a morning person, so I thought I would ask him instead." Shinobu plastered a beaming smile on her face despite the turmoil going on inside her head. She could have sworn her knees were buckling, but she remained standing.

"I see," Naru replied, a quizzical expression on her brow. "Okay, then, thanks. I'll be out a little later to hang my laundry."

Shinobu could practically see the disappointment in Naru's tone. "Okay," Shinobu said, as still as a statue, her stone-wrought smile still on her facade.

Just when she thought the coast was clear, Shinobu was startled yet again one final question from Naru: "Do you think he's seeing someone, Shinobu-chan?"

* * *

Keitaro hummed a wandering tune as he pulled his best pair of blue jeans up and over his hips. He wrinkled his nose as he buttoned them, trying to ignore the raging itch on the bridge. It was still sore to the touch, and he didn't want to aggravate it any more than needed. The nagging feeling got the best of him and he relented, hissing as he scratched the healing wound gingerly. "I hate that," he said to no one in particular, smoothing out his long sleeved shirt before plopping down on his futon to put his socks on.

As he pulled on his second sock, Keitaro heard two sharp knocks on his door. "Come in," he called out. Keitaro heard his door slide open a few inches and out of the corner of his eye he saw a head of blue hair. "Ah, Shinobu-chan, I was just coming to get you."

Shinobu apprehensively let herself into the room, sliding the door shut quietly behind her. Keitaro could immediately tell she was troubled. She looked absolutely crestfallen, holding one hand, slightly clenched, close to her mouth. "What is it, Shinobu-chan? Is something the matter?" Keitaro asked.

Shinobu dropped her hand back to her side. "I'm sorry," she said, offering no explanation to her apology.

"Sorry for what, Shinobu-chan?"

"I can't go out with you today," Shinobu replied, glancing down to the side.

Keitaro blinked twice. "Why not? Do you have a hot date or something?" Keitaro offered sarcastically.

Shinobu shook her head, oblivious to her sempai's joke. "I don't want to get in the way."

"In the way of what?" Keitaro asked, perplexed.

"I'm so sorry," Shinobu said again hurriedly before bowing and departing the room in haste, leaving Keitaro's door open behind her.

Keitaro listened to the sound of Shinobu's quickly fading footfalls, wondering just what she meant by 'getting in the way'. "It's just lunch," Keitaro said matter-of-factly, speaking once more to nary but the walls.

Shinobu choked back the tears welling up in her eyes as she fled the scene, making a mental note to remind Naru sometime that she owed her one.

Meanwhile, somewhere close to Keitaro's room, a fiendish grin crept upon the face of a certain eavesdropper.

* * *

Keitaro spent much of the rest of his afternoon daydreaming as he performed his chores. "What did she mean by that? Is there something she knows that I don't?" Keitaro laughed at himself when he realized what he was talking to. "Like you would know anything about it," he said before stomping the spider clattering across the hardwood floor of the second floor hallway under the heel of his slipper.

"Talking to insects before you kill them? Sounds like you are having more problems than I thought, Keitaro."

Keitaro's body snapped to attention as he immediately recognized the voice. "I don't have any money, Kitsune-san," he said reflexively.

Kitsune stifled a chuckle, approaching her target and flipping on her seduction switch. "I'm not here for your money," she said with her best sultry voice. Keitaro stood there like a statue; it was his only defense. Leaning forward to display her generous cleavage underneath her oversized shirt, Kitsune added, "I'm here for you."

Keitaro avoided glancing in the direction of Kitsune's chest by adjusting his vision towards the ceiling and pleaded with his attacker, "Would you please put those away?" The last thing he needed was a nosebleed from his already tender nose.

Kitsune stood upright and applauded. "You're getting better, Keitaro-kun. Actually, I just want to talk about you and Shinobu."

"Eh?" Keitaro stammered, acting aloof. "Is there a problem?"

Kitsune grinned and winked knowingly. "You aren't that good yet." She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward her room.

Keitaro was surprised at the cleanliness of Kitsune's room, considering she did not seem to be lacking funds for her seemingly nightly alcohol binges. However, when he spotted a large stack of empty sake bottles stacked precariously in the corner of the room, he realized the room's spotlessness was a recent development.

Keitaro knelt across the table from the fox-girl, a sneaking suspicion creeping upon him that Kitsune knew everything about what happened with him and Shinobu, but decided to sit back and find out exactly what she knew before blurting out something unnecessary.

"I know what's going on here, Keitaro, but I want to hear it from the horse's mouth before I do anything," Kitsune began, much to Keitaro's chagrin. "Shinobu has been sneaking in and out of your room for these past few mornings, and I have reason to believe it doesn't have anything to do with tutoring. Do you have anything to say for yourself before I take this to the others?"

Keitaro wasn't about to get bullied around. "I don't know what sort of infernal contraption you are using to spy on me, and I don't see how it is any of your business, but she was helping me with something personal, if you must know." He even surprised himself with his quickly devised tactical denial.

"I'll bet it's something _personal _all right," Kitsune quipped with a devilish wink.

Keitaro scoffed. "What are you accusing me of? Do you think I would ever do anything to Shinobu-chan? Are you completely out of your gourd?"

"Then what is this I hear about a date, hm?" Kitsune asked.

Keitaro wanted nothing more at that point than to slap the grin off the fox's face, but he kept his cool, and his cards close to his chest. "A date? I just offered to take her out for lunch for helping me, that's all! Besides that, she called it off for some reason."

Kitsune lifted an eyebrow in curiosity, prompting Keitaro to explain himself further. He complied, lest he allow a simple misunderstanding to become something completely out of his control. "She said she didn't want to get in the way, or something like that."

Kitsune leaned back on her cushion, letting the information soak in. Keitaro also sat in silence, resting his arms on the table, pondering along with his counterpart. "I think it's pretty obvious," Kitsune said at last, tapping her index finger on her table.

"What's obvious about that? Why would she feel she was in the way of anything?" Keitaro asked.

Kitsune smirked at the landlord. "Keitaro, you really are dense sometimes."

Keitaro folded his arms. "Why don't you cut out the insults and tell me what's going on?"

Kitsune open her eyes to look directly into Keitaro's. "This is something you need to figure out on your own."

Keitaro knew judging by the normally sly woman's demeanor that she was serious as he lost himself in Kitsune's hazel eyes for a moment.

"Anyway," Kitsune said cheerfully with a shrug of her shoulders, breaking the stern mood, "this should be fun to watch, at least."

Keitaro sighed in disgust. "I'm glad my pain can serve as your pleasure, Kitsune-san. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Keitaro stood and approached the door leading back to the hallway.

"Go get 'er, tiger," Kitsune cooed.

Keitaro threw the door open before looking back towards the shorthaired beauty. "You know, you can be pretty cute when you aren't trying to be such a schemer."

"Don't I know it?" Kitsune riposted with another wink. Keitaro laughed as he left the room, sliding the door shut behind him.

Kitsune retrieved a fresh bottle of sake from her dwindling stash and poured herself a shot of the clear liquid, staring at the fluid as she swirled the liquor around in the porcelain glass. "You really are getting good, Keitaro," she said aloud, raising the cup to her lips. She tilted her head back, allowing the sweet flavor to flow into her mouth. She savored the taste for a few moments before swallowing. "Naru is lucky to have you."

* * *

A/N: Another chapter edit is in the books. nearly 800 words were added to this chapter, which is quite impressive considering the length, or the lack thereof, of this compared to my more recent works. Anyhoo, on to the next!


	5. Chapter 4

"_The wounds of love can only be healed by the one who made them._" - Pubilius Syrus, Roman author, 1st Century BC

Chapter 4

The blade may have stopped merely inches from her head, but Shinobu did not even flinch, despite feeling the breeze left in the wake of the weapon tickle her cheek. She stood firm, her arms spread out as wide as her tiny frame allowed, a fiercely cold stare boring through the eye sockets of the one that nearly dispatched her.

Motoko was frozen in place, staring down at her kouhai with a purely stunned expression. Some otherworldly force, or perhaps the iron-willed determination of the young woman standing before her, locked every muscle in her body.

"I won't let you hurt him anymore."

* * *

Keitaro woke to the sound of songbirds chirping merrily outside of his half-opened window. He rolled over to his side, grumbling in annoyance. "Shut up, will you? Just fifteen more minutes," he spat at the birds, as they paid no mind to his words whatsoever.

After several minutes, the birds flew away, taking their incessant shrieking sounds with them. Comfortable again at last, he let out a heavy sigh, languishing in the comfort of his futon. His eyes were closed no more than thirty seconds before another natural morning wake up call stirred him from his rest.

He growled out loud, throwing his blanket off his body before standing. Stifling a yawn, he shuffled out of his room and towards the toilet. He kept his eyes level, resisting the urge to steal merely just a peek at the floorboards. If he noticed any dust bunnies or markings at all, he would be forced to clean the entire floor by force of habit. He did not want to do any chores today, considering it was his day off.

He absentmindedly reached for the doorknob to the bathroom, but once he made contact with the metal knob, a shiver passed through his spine. He paused, pulling his hand away, using it instead to knock on the door several times. "Just a minute," a voice called out from beyond the portal. Keitaro exhaled in relief, making a mental note to trust his intuition more often in the future.

After Keitaro paced, or rather danced with a step best known as the toilet two-step for a few minutes, the door finally opened.

They both froze when their eyes met. She was, as per usual when they met so unexpectedly, wrapped in naught but a towel. This time, however, she also had a second towel, using the implement to dry her hair. The all-too familiar predicament she found herself in caused her to pause in mid-stroke, several strands of her long hair falling in front of her face.

"Narusegawa," Keitaro broke the deadlock, "good morning." He made it a special point to look into her eyes and nowhere else, lest he be smitten from the earth should she feel her chastity threatened.

Naru lowered the towel from her head, unconsciously clenching a fist. Had she been counting, she was certain this was at least the fiftieth time Keitaro somehow magically appeared in front of her when she was half-naked and off guard. "What are you looking at, you baka?" she screamed with a bloody rage, winding up and delivering her devastating Naru-punch directly into Keitaro's cheek, causing his head to explode from the impact. Blood, bits of brain and fragments of what was left of his lecherous skull flew in every which direction, much of it covering Naru's face and body. Keitaro's lifeless, and needless to say, headless, body slumped to the floor, blood continuing to pour from his neck…

"Narusegawa?"

Naru inhaled sharply as she was jostled back to reality by the sound of Keitaro's voice. She consciously loosened her fist, clutching at the towel in her other hand instead. "Good morning," she at last replied, feeling a mite squeamish after the vision she just experienced.

"Are you feeling okay?" Keitaro asked after seeing the rather green look on the woman's face.

"I'm fine," Naru replied flatly, lowering her gaze to the floor and walking directly through Keitaro, forcibly shoving him out of her way.

Keitaro watched in bewilderment as Naru scurried away, giving himself a good slap across the face when he noticed he was watching her rear end; and one more for good measure. "She will be the death of me," he said, entering the bathroom and shutting the door. "But she sure is sexy when her hair is wet like that."

* * *

"What is wrong with me?" Naru asked in agony, burying her face in her arms on the table. She was fully dressed in her usual attire: a sweater, skirt and stockings, but her erstwhile damp hair was thrown into a most unimpressive ponytail, as she did not even bother to run a brush through it first. To all who might observe her it was plainly obvious her hair was not her current priority.

Kitsune sat across from her best friend in the teahouse, unable to help feeling at least slightly amused by Naru's appearance. "What are you talking about? I would've thought you not smashing his face in was an improvement."

Naru shook her head. "That's not what I mean. For the first time I knew that he didn't do anything wrong, but I still wanted to kill him. What the hell am I thinking?"

"It's good to see you're taking some of my advice to heart, Naru," said Haruka as she placed a tea set on the table and joined to two younger ladies, pulling a half-smoked cigarette from her apron pocket and lighting it.

"I wasn't always like this, was I Haruka-san?" Naru asked, turning her head to the side, resting it on her arms, to look at the elder Urashima.

Haruka chuckled and pulled a long drag from her cigarette, a thoughtful expression on her face. Naru was obviously very distraught over her thoughts and feelings, and Haruka knew full well why she was acting out towards the Hinata Sou landlord. However, laying it bare would prove fruitless, as the current Naru would simply deny what has long since been proven. "You were always possessive, that much I can remember," Haruka offered a cryptic response instead.

Naru sat upright on her pillow, squinting at Haruka. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"She just doesn't get it yet," Kitsune said for Haruka's benefit.

"It appears so," Haruka riposted. "I'm glad I'm not the only one that figured it out."

Naru was positively lost. She glanced in both Kitsune and Haruka's directions, prompting them for a suitable explanation by waving her hands in a circular gesture.

"Let's just say you tend to be rather…aggressive…when someone tries to take something that belongs to you," Haruka continued with the slightest of smiles and a wink.

Naru pondered over Haruka's statement, pinching the bridge of her nose where her glasses normally lay. "Are you trying to say that Keitaro has something that belongs to me, and that's why I'm so violent towards him?"

Kitsune applauded Naru's effort. "Very good! It seems you really do understand then."

"No, not really," Naru replied flatly, shaking her head for emphasis.

Kitsune and Haruka fell on their faces.

"You'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure," Haruka said, pulling herself back to her feet. The other two followed suit.

Naru attempted to pay for Haruka's services, but she politely refused. After thanking the teashop owner for her hospitality, Naru and Kitsune headed back to the apartments. Haruka watched them leave up the stairs until they were out of sight. She wore a crooked smile, thinking about how much Naru reminded her of herself. "Maybe someday I will understand too," she murmured, a certain spectacled man flashing through her mind's eye.

* * *

The large clock towering above the school's main building struck 3 pm, and a stream of students flowed out of every open orifice in the plain white building. From a distance, might have thought the school building was expelling a blue and white fog from within. Shinobu walked among the throng of schoolmates, several of them calling out to her, and she responded to each with a wave and a dry smile.

From the roof, a certain blond-haired foreigner was holding a pair of binoculars to her eyes, scanning the courtyard below. Naturally, these were no ordinary binoculars. Wired into these binoculars was a special device that could recognize a specific person's unique body signature and home in on that particular person for the viewer. Su turned her latest invention over and turned a knob on the side until a picture of Shinobu's face appeared in the middle of the knob. She returned to scanning the area, and within a few short seconds, the binoculars highlighted its mark in green and "Target Acquired" appeared in small Molmolian text above Shinobu's head through the display.

"Good, I didn't miss her," Su said inwardly, stuffing her binoculars back into her backpack with very little care for something so useful. Without hesitation, she leaped from the roof, her arms splayed wide as she swan-dived towards the earth below.

"It's a jumper! Look out!" a bystander exclaimed, alerting others around the area to clear out of the way.

Shinobu turned to see what the commotion was all about and gasped when she noticed the form of Su tossing and tumbling through the air. A frog caught in her throat as she nearly screamed out loud, about to witness her friend quite literally go splat on the cement.

Su was underestimated yet again however, as she landed gracefully from thirty-foot fall like a cat. Those around the dark-skinned girl gawked at her like she was a monster. "What's the problem?" she asked, befuddled. After some incoherent mumblings, the crowd around Su dispersed and she saw Shinobu running towards her. "Oh, Shinobu!"

"Kaolla-san! Are you okay?" Shinobu asked, looking as if she just had the fright of her life.

"Of course I am," Su replied, sporting a toothy grin. "I was just going to catch up to you so we could walk home together."

Shinobu laughed nervously at her friend. If she did not know any better, she might have thought Su performed such nonsensical tricks to show off to the other students. But she knew it was just a part of her quirky personality. "Okay, then, shall we?"

Su nodded with delight, and followed Shinobu as she left the campus grounds. Most of their trek through town was covered in silence, until Su noticed that Shinobu seemed troubled. "Are you okay, Shinobu?"

Shinobu was startled by Kaolla's voice. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if you're feeling okay. You look like you are bothered by something. Did you eat something bad at lunch and get diarrhea or something? Bananas are good for that, you know."

"How can you ask something like that so directly?" Shinobu snapped back.

"Sorry, it's just that I make that face when I have a tummy ache."

"Well, it's not that, and I would prefer not to talk about it, if you don't mind."

Several moments of silence followed Shinobu's rebuff. "Aren't we friends, Shinobu?" Su asked.

"Of course, Kaolla-san," Shinobu replied, thinking her question ludicrous.

"Then why won't you to talk to me?"

Shinobu knew in her heart of hearts that Su wouldn't understand her predicament. She also lacked the courage to tell her that, lest she mar her feelings.

"It's Keitaro isn't it?" Shinobu stopped dead in her tracks. Su chuckled knowingly, and held a hand to her chin, giving her best Sherlock Holmes impersonation. "As I suspected."

"How did you…?"

Su shrugged her shoulders. "Playing with Kitsune is fun when she is plastered. She says the most interesting things sometimes." Shinobu turned to stone. She was as good as dead. If Su knew her secret, everyone else in the world would know by nightfall. "Relax, Shinobu, I'm not blogging this."

Shinobu began to consider dashing to her room and committing ritual suicide with a plastic butter knife. It was next to impossible to take anything Su said even at face value.

"Why not just tell him you like him, Shinobu? I did, and he still plays with me!"

"Your version of 'like' is not the same as mine, Kaolla-san."

Su reeled at that comment, insulted. "Who says it's any different?"

"Huh?" Shinobu mouthed, now staring wide-eyed at her friend. That Su could love anything, let alone anyone, other than her electronic concoctions was quite the revelation.

"It's not good to be sad, Shinobu. Why not just get it off of your chest and not worry about it anymore?"

"But, I…"

"You know," Su cut Shinobu off, "there are a lot of guys in your grade that like really like you. It's impolite to keep them waiting."

"What?" Shinobu nearly shrieked, color invading her face.

"Just think about it, okay?" Without waiting for a response, Su dashed off, leaving Shinobu behind with her thoughts.

Shinobu sulked down the street after the foreigner. "It's not that easy for me."

* * *

Motoko slashed her blade through the air with the perfect, metronome-like precision of a world-class orchestral conductor. Over and again, the whooshing sound of her blade slicing through an imaginary target rang through the area of the roof deck. This particular exercise served her several purposes. For one, it helped to clear her mind of impure thoughts. Secondly, it honed both her body and her technique. And lastly, it helped her to get away from all of her cares and worries, and to focus on just one thing. Yes, despite what the other tenants may believe about her, even she experienced troubles from time to time.

"One thousand," the blade-mistress intoned her milestone as she bisected one final falling leaf. She relaxed her stance and sheathed her sword. Both her arms and legs were weary from the repetition, and she grimaced slightly as she raised her towel to her face to wipe the sweat away from her brow. To cool her body and further calm her mind, she rolled out a mat on the hardwood floor, kneeling onto it to meditate. Meditating right after her exercise helped bring her into an even sharper mental focus. She also found that being fatigued also helped to hasten the process of achieving clarity.

She closed her eyes, focusing only on the warmth of the sun as it kissed her skin. She ignored all of her other senses, focusing only on that warm sensation. She then focused on her breathing, forsaking the warmth of the sun spreading across her body. Inhaling good, exhaling evil. In and out. There was nothing else. Eventually, even her sense of touch faded into the depths of her mind. There was neither warmth nor cold. Neither light nor darkness. Only breathing. And then nothingness.

Several images appeared in Motoko's mind's eye as she sank deeper into the depths of her meditation. Each was a mere snapshot, passing as quickly as the next flashed with an unrivaled intensity, one after another: glints of steel, a blood-curdling scream, the burning agony of blade cutting through bone, a mangled body, a face with a horrified look of fear, splattered with blood, frozen in death. These images and feelings replayed over and over, the pace of the images increasing in tempo as they looped around and around in the blank canvas of her mind.

Motoko yanked herself from her meditation by forcefully opening her eyes. She was drenched in a cold sweat, her gi sticking to her body. She was also panting heavily, her heart pounding in her chest. By the movement of the shadows on the deck, she judged that at least an hour had passed since she knelt to meditate. She raised her hand to her face, and noticed it was shaking. She was frightened by what she saw.

"I need to call sister right away," she said to herself, keeping her voice even in an attempt to calm her nerves. With a plan of action in place, Motoko quickly rose to her feet. She shook off the pins and needles riddling her legs, and rushed back into the apartments.

* * *

"You really suck at this, Keitaro," Kitsune stated plainly as she captured another of the ronin's white pawns with her knight, dangling the chess piece in front of his face mockingly. She raised her second bottle of sake to her lips with her opposite hand, pulling a long draught from it while Keitaro pondered his next move. "Come on, get it over with already. I've got more important things to do today."

"Name one, and I'll forfeit the game for you," Keitaro returned, his eyes still scanning the chessboard for the best possible move.

"Ah, touché, little grasshopper," Kitsune said with a giggle. "But you could at least hurry up and make a move."

"One day," Keitaro said, moving his hand from his rook to his bishop, "you will learn the meaning of patience." He moved his queenside bishop, outflanking Kitsune's king. "Check."

"Oh, please," Kitsune said with a roll of her eyes, moving a pawn into position to block the bishop. "Tell me: what has patience served you? What are you waiting around for, an engraved invitation?"

"What are you talking about?" Keitaro raised his voice a half octave, moving his bishop out of harm's way.

Kitsune instantly moved one of her pawns into position to take Keitaro's remaining knight. "Considering you haven't gotten anywhere with you-know-who?"

"I really wish you would just mind your own business," Keitaro lowered his voice again, repositioning his knight.

"Look, I'm really trying to help you out here. You need to understand what you are up against here. There are a ton of people out there who are, to be quite honest, a whole hell of a lot better off than the likes of you who are pining for that girl's hand," Kitsune said, now completely ignoring the game.

"I know that," Keitaro replied softly, turning his head to look at the fern sitting in the corner of the room.

"However," Kitsune said coyly, moving her queen to take Keitaro's knight with a sly flick of her wrist, "have you seen her going out with anyone recently?"

"No, not really," Keitaro responded, turning back to the game board.

"Doesn't that tell you something?" Kitsune asked, praying against all hope that Keitaro truly was not that dense.

"How am I supposed to know what that woman's thinking?"

"Give yourself some credit, Keitaro. You may be a stupid loser with hardly any prospects, you are awfully good at telling what people are feeling."

"Well, that maybe true with you and some of the others," Keitaro said, a devilish grin creeping onto his face. He slowly and deliberately slid his bishop across the board to Kitsune's queen, knocking the piece over with the bottom of his bishop. "But Narusegawa is like a closed book."

"Damn you!" Kitsune cursed, slamming her hands on the table. Keitaro suppressed a laugh as his opponent threw a fit over losing her most valuable piece. "Geez, why the hell did I fall for that lame trap?" she asked, throwing her hands up in disgust.

"Probably because you are too invasive," Keitaro replied with a grin and a wink.

Kitsune harrumphed at Keitaro's comment. "I'll have you know that Naru is probably the most open person around here. You just don't know her language." Kitsune moved her king's pawn forward.

"You are right about that. She is all Greek to me." Keitaro pressed his advantage, moving his rook to attack Kitsune's king's pawn.

As the game-slash-conversation continued, both players failed to notice a shadow appear and quietly remove the telephone from the room.

* * *

"_You may not have been aware of this, but our family is renowned for our ability to see beyond the realm of the present, Motoko-han. You were correct in not simply dismissing your vision as merely a dream. Tell me, is there anyone close to you whose life may be in danger?_"

"Not as far as I can tell at present, sister. Everything around here seems to be normal. I feel no malevolent presence in this vicinity."

"_It is vital that you continue to monitor these visions. They are likely an indication of things to come, but you must remember that these images are naught but indicators and are by no means a reflection of what will eventually happen. Certain actions taken may prevent such a tragedy from occurring. Keep that in mind._"

"I will. Thank you for the insight, sister."

"_It may not be in the best interests of those around you to become aware of what you have seen. Telling anyone about it may only serve to exacerbate the outcome. It would be best if this conversation was kept private from the others._"

"Understood. I was not planning on telling anyone here about it at the present moment. It's likely they would not believe me, anyway."

"_I will consult with the elders here to attempt to determine the meaning behind these visions. Please keep me abreast of any changes in your visions or of any shifts within the spiritual realm._"

"Very well, then."

"_Goodbye, Motoko-han._"

"Goodbye, sister."

* * *

"That guy is a lot better at chess than I would have given him credit for," Kitsune said off-handedly, stretching her back along the rocks as she languished in the relaxing heat of the hot spring. "And to think I was going to try to hustle him out of some spending money for next weekend. It's a good thing I didn't. I might have lost my shirt."

Motoko scoffed as she poured a bucket of water over her head, its coldness sending shivers down her spine as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair. "You might have lost your shirt anyway, playing games alone with that poor excuse for a man. I'm glad I was around to keep things in order."

Su stopped leaping about the pool like a trout to give her two cents. "I don't know what you mean, Motoko. I play with Keitaro alone all the time, and he's never tried to take my clothes."

Shinobu chuckled nervously at her best friend's naivety. "I don't think your definition of playing is quite the same, Kaolla-san."

Naru, seated outside the spring with her lower legs dangling in the steamy water, said, "Well, as far as I'm concerned, that's what you get for trying to hustle him."

Kitsune feigned a shocked expression, covering her open mouth with her hand. Her voice dripping with sarcasm, she responded, "Naru! You…defending Keitaro? I didn't know you had it in you!"

Naru turned her head to one side and shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "I've said that when you've messed with other people before, Kitsune. The things you do just invite trouble. I'm surprised after everything that's happened that you can still afford to live here."

"You know, I do have a job. I just like to have a little fun is all," Kitsune replied, finding herself on the defensive, though she would be caught dead long before admitting that fact.

"Anyway, I'm not defending him," Naru continued. "Though there is something different about him lately, I've noticed."

Her interest piqued, Motoko inquired, "What do you mean by that, Naru-sempai?"

"I mean, he hasn't peeped at any of us lately, and he hasn't done anything particularly stupid in the last few days. As much as it pains me to admit, that just isn't like him."

Kitsune was not the type to miss a golden opportunity to allow someone to paint herself into a corner, with Naru being no exception. To be honest, she was becoming rather tired of the obviously star-crossed lovers waffling with their feelings, and she was becoming more and more eager to force them to come to terms with their feelings one way or the other. Crap or get off the pot, as it were. "The way you are talking, Naru, it sounds like he's becoming more of the kind of guy you are looking for," she said accusingly.

While the other girls shook their heads and rolled their eyes, Naru reacted defiantly. "Like I would ever go out with someone like him," she muttered quietly.

"You know, Keitaro and I were just discussing this very thing while he was stomping a mud hole into me in chess," Kitsune noted with a toothy grin, pressing her advantage. "You know Naru, it's not like you don't have any prospects waiting for you out there, but you haven't taken any of them up on their offers. Now why is that exactly?"

Naru began to turn red in the face. Kitsune was pressing her buttons again, she was well aware. And no matter how many times she tried to convince herself to not fall for her friend's trickery, she always found herself on the losing end of the bargain. "What the hell are you doing discussing my private business with him?"

"I think the others would agree with me that your lack of dates is a matter of public record," Kitsune replied, gesturing towards the other ladies in the pool.

Naru's eyes might have pierced through steel as she glared at them. Shinobu raised her hands and shook her head, trying her best to appear innocent. Su continued her flippant bounding in the water. "Don't include me in this argument," Motoko said.

"What, exactly, did you tell him?" Naru grumbled slowly.

"That he needs to man-up and ask you out already," Kitsune replied matter-of-factly.

Naru fell forward, nearly slipping into the drink. Motoko looked absolutely appalled at the idea. Shinobu gasped and clutched her hands to her mouth. Su froze in mid-stroke, floating on the surface of the water. Even the crickets stopped chirping.

"What are you doing, telling him such a thing? I'll bet you even have him thinking that I would say yes to that ridiculous notion!" Naru roared, her temper lost somewhere in the steam rising into the heavens above the roof of the inn.

Raising an eyebrow and looking Naru dead in the face, Kitsune asked without an ounce of hesitation, "Wouldn't you?"

If the poor woman was a red as a beet before, the color in Naru's face was now as deep crimson as a strawberry. "Wha-well, I would-ah, er." Naru stumbled around herself, caving to the pressure of having all eyes on her.

"Well let's find out then," Su cheered, raising her fist in the air. Though she seemed aloof at times, she was also becoming quite tired of Keitaro and Naru beating around the bush. If only for her friend's sake, she wanted the issue put to bed once and for all.

"All right," Kitsune seconded with a curt nod of her head.

"Wait a minute now," Naru tried to protest, but it was far too late.

"!" Su belted out, cupping her hands over her mouth like a megaphone.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALP!" Kitsune screamed, trying her best to keep the giggles welling up in her belly at bay.

"No! Damn you two," Naru shrieked.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, now," Su counted down and then pointed at the door at the precise moment she predicted Keitaro would arrive.

Like a perfect Pavlovian specimen, Keitaro burst through the doorway, clad in his pajamas, wielding the mop in his hands like a stave, a cloud of smoke billowing from his feet as he skid himself to a halt directly in front of the hot spring. "Wha-where-who is in trouble?" he asked, looking about frantically.

It took a few seconds for his brain to catch up with his feet. He slowly looked down and saw Naru sitting right in front of him at the edge of the pool. She was looking up at him, her face as red as it ever was, clutching her arms around her bare chest. He was a dead man…honestly. There was no defense for him this time. The fact that he heard Su and Kitsune scream for his help and bolted from the third floor to the hot spring in five seconds flat to render his aid instantly vanished from his memory when he saw the angry on Naru's face. Lost to him was the fact she was not angry with him, but at her friends for instigating the current predicament.

Keitaro jumped backwards like an animal stuck with a cattle prod just in time to see Motoko emerge from the water, her pupil-less eyes glowing blood red, pulling her blade from its sheath seemingly from nowhere. He backpedaled furiously away from his approaching doom, but tripped over a rock. He slammed into the ground, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He could hardly gasp for enough air to stay conscious, let alone beg for mercy from the demon-like swordswoman. It did not help that she, like the others, was also stark naked from head to toe.

"We've really done it this time," Kitsune said to Su with a wince on her face.

"Good thing he's invincible, ne?" Su noted, smiling from ear-to-ear.

Naru had since slumped into the water to cover her nakedness from Keitaro's eyes. She turned around, only her eyes and nose peeking above the surface of the water and watched as an equally naked Motoko slowly approached her prey. Normally, she would be right next to her, ready to deliver a crushing blow to the pervert. But as with earlier when she met him outside of the bathroom, per body protested against her.

Looking at Keitaro lying there prone, unable to take in a breath and holding his hands over his eyes, the fiery rage in Naru's heart melted like an ice-cold dose of reality. His very life was in danger, and still he was not even trying protecting himself. In fact, he was protecting Motoko's honor by doing his best to not look at her naked form. Moreover, the entire scenario was not even his doing. It was manufactured by the whimsical nature of others, who now giggled at the pitiful sight of the man, as he was about to be demolished by the vengeful kendo mistress's sword.

Naru raised her hand and tried to call out for Motoko to stop, but her breath was stolen away from her. She was heaving sobs that she did not notice until that very moment when she tried to save Keitaro from his fate. Tears poured down her cheeks as she watched Motoko raise her weapon over her head.

"At last, I will rid you of your pitiful existence, Keitaro Urashima. Prepare to meet your maker!" Motoko clenched her fist around her weapon and a pale blue aura surrounded the blade. After charging it with energy for several seconds, she swung her blade downward upon the defenseless man at her feet.

"STOP!"

The blade may have stopped merely inches from her head, but Shinobu did not even flinch, despite feeling the breeze left in the wake of the weapon tickle her cheek. She stood firm, her arms spread out as wide as her tiny frame allowed, a fiercely cold stare boring through the eye sockets of the one that nearly dispatched her.

Motoko was frozen in place, staring down at her kouhai with a purely stunned expression. Some otherworldly force, or perhaps the iron-willed determination of the young woman standing before her, locked every muscle in her body.

"I won't let you hurt him anymore," Shinobu cried out.

Motoko gawked at the sight of the unclothed, blue-haired girl standing boldly in front of her, locking her eyes upon her as if she were her worst enemy. "Shinobu…chan."

Tears rained from Shinobu's eyes as she yelled deliriously, "You'll kill him!"

Motoko's eyes glazed over as Shinobu's words sunk into her brain like a stiletto into warm flesh. The gruesome visions returned to her mind's eye immediately, except this time, the face locked in death was no longer formless. The face was that of Keitaro.

When the vision was completed and she was pulled back into consciousness, Motoko instantly felt the black aura of something evil all around her. She stumbled backwards, away from Shinobu and Keitaro, her grip on her sword loosed. She looked down at her fallen weapon and gasped at what she saw. The source of the darkness she felt before was inside of her own body. She was the very source of the evil she had taken an oath to fight against. This realization was simply too much for the woman to bear. She dropped to her knees, falling face down as unconsciousness embraced her.

* * *

A/N: Thus completes the fourth chapter, re-written and updated. 1400 words were added from the original, astonishingly. Those new to this story may not notice the difference, though I'm sure there are some who've read the original that will be surprised how much was added. And now...the next...


	6. Chapter 5

"_Where there is love, there is pain"_ – Spanish Proverb

Chapter 5

Everyone, except Keitaro, who still had his hands over his eyes, watched at Motoko stumbled and fell to the ground before Shinobu.

"Sugoi, Shinobu," Su cheered on.

"How did you do that?" Kitsune asked.

Shinobu was as puzzled as they. "I didn't do anything, I swear!"

Naru jumped from water and quickly wrapped a towel around her body. She hurried over to Motoko's prone body and checked to make sure she was still breathing. Su bounded over to Shinobu and praised her for defeating Motoko.

All the while, Keitaro lay still, still believing he was about to be smitten. At last, Kitsune approached him. "Oy." No response. "Oy, Keitaro." Still nothing. In fact, he seemed to cower even more. Reaching the end of her rope, Kitsune flicked him hard in the forehead.

"Ow, damn it," Keitaro cursed, rubbing his forehead. He saw all the tenants around him, each still half-naked. "What happened? Why am I not dead?"

Kitsune motioned towards Shinobu, who was locked in a war of words with Su. "She saved you. I guess you owe her your life now, don'cha?"

Keitaro's eyes darted around. "Huh? Where's Motoko-chan?"

Kitsune moved out of Keitaro's way, and he saw Naru kneeling in front of the fallen Shinmeiryu retainer. "What happened to Motoko-chan?" Keitaro asked with concern for the fallen swordswoman.

"She passed out, I guess," Kitsune said with a whimsical shrug.

After making sure Motoko was still alive, Naru threw an extra towel over Motoko's body. "Keitaro, will you help me get her inside?"

Keitaro nodded and rose to his feet. He knelt down next to Naru, reaching under Motoko's legs. He hesitated before lifting her from the ground. "I-is it okay, Narusegawa?"

"Yeah. None of us can carry her. Just be careful with her. I don't know if she hit her head."

No warnings about touching her somewhere inappropriate. No quips about catching a face full of feet. Not even any hesitation in her voice. Keitaro didn't know what to do. For the first time since he could remember, Naru trusted him completely.

"What are you waiting for, Keitaro? Hurry up, already!"

"Sorry," Keitaro replied. He quickly scooped up the woman, taking care not to lose the towel covering her naked body. Kitsune rushed to the door and opened it for Keitaro, who thanked her as he passed. Naru followed behind her, with Su bringing up the rear.

Shinobu stood alone, gazing at the floor, tears welling up in her eyes. Kitsune placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Shinobu?"

Shinobu shook her head, and she broke down. Kitsune pulled her into her arms. "Not the ugly cry," she teased the younger girl. Shinobu laughed despite herself. "Whatever you are thinking, Shinobu, it is not your fault, do you understand me?" Shinobu nodded. "Good. Now, would you tell me what you meant when you said she could have killed Keitaro?"

* * *

"Right here should be fine," Naru pointed at the sofa.

"Alright," Keitaro said, slowly bending at the knees, placing Motoko gently upon the cushions.

"Su, could you get some water, please?" Naru asked the foreigner.

"Hai, hai!" Su scooted off to fulfill the request.

Motoko squirmed in her sleep, and beads of sweat began to form on her forehead. She grunted against some unseen force.

Keitaro placed the back of his hand against Motoko's brow and against the side of her face. "She's really hot!" he noted aloud. When Naru leaned in closer to verify that with her own hand, Keitaro instantly became self-conscious. "N-not that I mean she's 'hot', I mean she's warm."

"Don't worry about it Keitaro. I know what you meant," Naru said without a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Keitaro watched as Naru doted over Motoko, brushing the hair away from her eyes, pulling her towel over her body, dabbing away the sweat from her face. "_Something is different about her. Has something happened to her?_"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry?" Keitaro asked.

"Are you okay?" Naru repeated, looking over Keitaro with her eyes for any injuries.

"Yeah, I'm…fine," Keitaro responded, now completely flustered. Naru was acting so much differently than normal; Keitaro might have thought he was talking to some other person trapped in her body.

"Are you okay?" Keitaro asked, emphasizing the word you.

Naru blinked and shook her head slightly. "Of course I'm okay. Why are you asking me?"

"Well, it's just," Keitaro's voice trailed off. He didn't want to ruin it.

"You have to tell me now, Keitaro. Now I am all worried. What is it?"

"You don't seem yourself right now," Keitaro spat.

"Huh?"

"Back there, normally you would be right next to Motoko-chan, or worse yet, pushing her out of the way to get to me first. You aren't worried about me touching Motoko-chan, let alone carrying her inside while she is completely naked underneath this flimsy towel. This is just not like you at all."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Keitaro. Would you prefer that I pound you into the ground right now?" Naru asked sarcastically.

Keitaro, always the naïve one, took her question literally. "No way, please no. I like you much more this way."

"So you really do like me, don't you?" Naru asked, half seriously, but with a jovial, joking tone.

Keitaro opened his mouth to answer, but only managed to blubber as the question registered in his brain. Naru giggled to herself.

"I see why Kitsune has so much fun with you," Naru said, revealing the joke. She actually felt empowered being able to reduce Keitaro to a pile of lifeless goo with words rather than fisticuffs.

Su bounded back in at last, hauling some sort of strange mechanical device along with a damp towel and a glass of water.

"It's about time. What the hell took you so long?" Naru asked with irritation.

"This seemed like the perfect opportunity to test out the new device I've been slaving over the past two weeks, so I went to my room and grabbed it really fast."

Both Naru and Keitaro backpedaled away from the metal device in Su's hand immediately, and almost unconsciously. The last four devices she tested met an unfortunate end at the expense of Keitaro, as they each unceremoniously exploded in his face. Neither he nor Naru would like to be a part of number five.

"Don't worry, I've already beta tested this thing on myself, see?" Su reached for a switch on the side of the device and flipped it on as Naru ducked and Keitaro threw himself over her. After a few clicks and whistles, the mechanism fired on, and a gyro began to spin at the top of the machine.

"This device scans a person's DNA structure for anomalies. As you can tell by this scan here, I am perfectly normal, as usual." Su turned the device to the couple. Keitaro lifted himself off of Naru and helped her sit back up before they looked at the gadget. An illegible string of text scrolled across the small LCD display several times.

"How the hell are we supposed to read that?" Keitaro screamed.

Su turned the mechanism back towards her, and she peered across the text. She laughed and said, "Sorry, I guess I should add in a translator for you guys. This only displays in my native language." Naru and Keitaro could only shake their heads and sigh in defeat. "Anyway, it reads, 'DNA analysis: 99.98 match for Kaolla Su. Molecular structure normal. No sub-atomical deviations detected.'"

Naru and Keitaro were lost. "Pretty cool, huh?" Su asked for her own benefit. After receiving no response, she added, "I originally planned on using this device to manufacture an army of automatons, but my cloning device failed for some reason. So now I use it for medical purposes."

"Why don't you try it on her, then?" Naru asked, pointing at the still unconscious Motoko, who was now beginning to groan a bit more.

Su nodded and turned the machine towards the prone swordswoman. After several tense moments, Su peered at the reading and shook her head. "It's reading completely normal. Whatever the problem is, it isn't physical."

"What could be happening to her?" Keitaro asked. Su simply shrugged and Naru shook her head. They could only watch and wait, hoping that Motoko would finally rouse from whatever nightmare she was facing.

* * *

Motoko opened her eyes slowly. A cold, barren darkness registered in her brain. She bolted upright, looking in every direction, but she was completely alone in the emptiness. She suddenly remembered her nakedness, and looked down at herself. She was garbed in her regular training gi, to her temporary amazement.

"Did I lose consciousness? Where am I?" Motoko asked the obvious questions.

"You have broken the code, Motoko-han."

Motoko whirled around, reaching for her blade, but found it absent from her hip. In front of her now stood her older sister, her form veiled in a luminous light that pierced through the darkness. She held Motoko's blade in its scabbard in her hands.

"Anewe! How did you? Where? What is going on here?"

Tsuruko took two steps toward her younger sibling. "You have broken our code, Motoko-han."

Motoko took a step backward. "I have no idea what you mean."

"From this day forth, I vow to protect the innocent and the weak. I promise to never use my power to harm those who carry no fault. On my very life, this I swear." After intoning that portion Shinmeiryu code of honor, Tsuruko removed the blade in her hands from its home, the piercing screech of metal on metal reverberating throughout Motoko's ears, setting her on edge.

Tsuruko stared coldly into Motoko, piercing her straight to her soul. The light surrounding her form wavered, and Motoko found herself unable to move a single muscle in her body. The paralysis spread through her whole body, inside and out, stealing the breath from her lungs. She fell to her knees, only able to stare in horror as Tsuruko approached her menacingly with Motoko's own blade at the ready.

"Sis…ter," Motoko managed to say. Tears began to cloud her vision. She could barely make out Tsuruko raising the blade over her head.

"Your kneeling is an admission of guilt, Motoko-han. As you have promised your life, I shall take it from you." Tsuruko's voice was calm, cool, and calculating as ever.

Motoko closed her eyes and wept silently, her fate sealed. She waited for the killing blow. The sharp sound of breaking metal rang out, causing Motoko to gasp. She soon after realized she could breathe again. The paralysis also mysteriously left her body. Before her lay her sword, broken into two pieces along the middle of the blade, its scabbard lying next to it.

"You may yet find forgiveness, Motoko-han, and spare yourself from an dishonorable demise."

Raising her head, Motoko saw her sister quickly fading into the darkness. A feeling welled up deep within her soul, and she knew everything her sister had said was true. She leapt to her feet and ran after her sister. "What do I do, anewe?"

Tsuruko's increasingly sounded more distant. "Ask for forgiveness, and it will be given to you."

Motoko stopped running and watched the quickly fading light disappear into the oblivion.

Unexpectedly, Motoko heard her sister's voice again, this time sounding as if she was whispering into her ear. "Forgive yourself, my darling sister. It is the only way you can mend it."

Motoko glanced down at her hands, and found she was holding her broken sword in her hands. The broken sword glimmered even in the darkness, while the blade was blanketed in darkness and stained with dried blood. Motoko jumped at the sight and tried to release the blade, but it remained affixed to her hand. She was unable to let it go.

"How can I fix what I can't let go of?"

* * *

"Hai…hai…arigato gozaimasu…sayonara," Keitaro spoke into the handset before returning it to its home on the wall. Returning to the great room, he saw all eyes on him, except of course for Motoko. "Tsuruko-san said that she should be waking up shortly." His uneven tone did not set anyone's mind at ease.

"How does she know that?" Shinobu asked frantically, wiping away newly formed tears from her eyes. Kitsune consoled the young teenager by rubbing her back.

"I don't know," Keitaro responded flatly. He didn't believe it himself. "But I know better than to ask about things I don't understand, too…how is she, Narusegawa?"

"Actually, she's looking a lot better. Her breathing and pulse finally regulated, and she actually looks like she's just sleeping now."

"I guess all we can do now I wait for her to come out of it," Keitaro said, sitting next to Shinobu. Keitaro looked at the blur haired girl, who still had her head down in shame, sniffing back sobs. Keitaro took her hand. He felt her tense up for a second, and then she relaxed. "Are you okay, Shinobu-chan?" he asked.

Shinobu shook her head for a moment before nodding. She did not know what to think. Right now, with Keitaro holding her hand, she felt at peace, but she was still wrought with regret. "I'm sorry," she whimpered.

"You don't have to apologize," Keitaro responded affectionately.

"You did the right thing," Kitsune encouraged Shinobu.

"Shinobu was so cool," Su exclaimed.

"I just didn't want anyone to get hurt," Shinobu said.

"Her sister said that she's just fine, Shinobu-chan," Naru said, looking in Keitaro's direction, trying to get him to reinforce her words.

Keitaro saw the cue. "Yeah, Naru's right, she's going to be just fine."

"Then why won't she wake up?"

Silence. No one dared ask the obvious question until now, and no one dared try to answer it. However, when the last two words came out of Shinobu's mouth, Motoko's eyes flinched. No one saw it, though. When she began to stir, Naru noticed and said, "Look!"

Everyone stood and surrounded the sofa where Motoko lay. After a few minutes of starts and stops, Motoko finally blinked her eyes open. She cringed when she saw everyone standing over her. "Why are you all staring at me like that?"

While the others gave Motoko some space, Kitsune and Naru helped her sit up. "Where is my sword?" Motoko asked, nearly too weary to simply turn her head.

"It's safe," Naru assured Motoko.

"Yeah, I'd say she's back to normal now," Kitsune teased.

"How long was I out of it?"

"Almost an hour."

"Was it really that long?"

"Yeah," Keitaro said. "You had us worried for a moment. But out of the blue, we got a call from your sister telling us that you would be okay, and to just let you rest. I don't know how she knew what happened, but she did."

Motoko chuckled inwardly. She had figured that seeing her sister in that vision was more than coincidence.

"Um…"

Keitaro moved out of the way, revealing Shinobu, who was not quite looking at Motoko, but had her attention on her all the same. "Are you…okay?"

"I'm a little tired, but I seem to be okay now."

"Thank goodness," Shinobu said, letting out a heaving sigh.

Motoko lowered her eyes and muttered, "Thank you."

"Huh? For what?" Shinobu asked in reply.

"You saved me from doing something terrible. Something that may have cost more than one life."

"What do you mean?" Naru asked.

"I guess you guys have some explaining to do now, eh?" Kitsune noted to Keitaro and Shinobu, who glanced sideways at each other.

"Okay, you guys need to tell us what is going on here," Naru raised her voice slightly.

"Let's let Motoko-chan get dressed. Let's all meet back here in 20 minutes and we can discuss this properly," Keitaro said.

While the crowd dispersed, no one seemed to notice Su standing slack-jawed over her device, which was pointed directly at Keitaro.

* * *

"How do I start?" Keitaro asked himself out loud, as he shifted nervously in his seat.

"From the beginning," Motoko said, now fully clothed in some loose fitting casual wear.

Keitaro looked at Naru. "Do you remember a couple weeks ago when you snuck up on me from behind and, well…you know?"

Naru's face flushed pink. "I'd rather forget that whole incident, but yes, I remember."

Keitaro unconsciously began to turn his glass of water in his hands counterclockwise as he continued. "Well, I said I was okay, but it turned out that I wasn't."

Kitsune gasped. "You mean those ketchup stains were…" she couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence.

"No, no, that really was a ketchup stain. However, the next morning, well, I sort of woke up with an enormous bruise on my body."

Keitaro paused to let anyone respond, but the thunderous silence around the table urged him to continue. "I can't begin to tell you how I got it, er, well, it's obvious _how_ I got it, but I had not bruised like that from getting hit by Narusegawa." He looked at Naru, who deflected his gaze by looking down when their eyes met. "Anyway, it went away as quickly as it came. And everything was fine until…"

"Until that night at the hot spring, right?" Motoko asked.

Keitaro nodded sheepishly. He would have rather not thought about it. Especially since…

"I thought you were mugged, sempai," Shinobu said.

"Well, I didn't want any rumors flying around here, and it was the best cover story I could conjure up in that short of a time."

"Well, sparing us the details, what happened after that?" Naru asked, trying to move the conversation along.

Keitaro took off his glasses, gesturing towards a slight indent along the bridge of his nose. The area was still lightly discolored.

"A broken nose," Shinobu said straightforwardly, not even looking at Keitaro's nose.

Kitsune winced upon the sight of the wound, and Naru leaned back in her chair, looking a bit green. Motoko did not even look at it. She could not bear to see the result of her most recent attack on her manager, especially after the last incident.

Kitsune peered at Shinobu, who seemed to reply for Keitaro without even looking at the injury. Grinning, she folded her arms over her bosom, and leaned back in her chair knowingly. "So that explains it, then."

"Explains what?" Naru asked. Kitsune had piqued her interest.

"These two," Kitsune replied, pointing at Keitaro and Shinobu.

"You're going to have to go a little deeper than that, Kitsune," Naru replied.

"Haven't you noticed these two spending quite a significant amount of time together recently?"

"I guess so. I didn't put too much thought into it I guess."

"Yes," Keitaro said, nodding his head. "Shinobu helped me to hide this injury until it went away. I also hid the first one from you all as well. There's no point in denying it now."

Naru visibly became upset. A mixture of emotions poured out through her voice as she spoke. "You hid it from us? Why would you do such a thing?"

"You girls have enough to worry about without me getting in the way of things. You don't need to be burdened with my problems."

Kitsune pounded her fist on the table in anger, causing everyone to flinch. "You really think you mean that little to us? What is the matter with you?"

At this point, Kitsune was directly in Keitaro's face, and Naru placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back into her seat.

"You know," Naru noted wistfully, "if you really think about it, he's perfectly justified in thinking that way."

"How the hell do you figure that?" Kitsune asked. She looked like she was about to lash out at any moment.

With each word, Naru's voice rose in pitch and volume, until she was nearly screaming.

"Just look at the way we treat him! Motoko-chan and I should practically be in jail for assault, you for extortion, blackmail, sexual harassment, and a load of other charges, and Su-chan should be deported for the wacky experiments she does on him!"

Keitaro all but broke down when he saw Naru's pained expression. "I don't think that way about you. I care about you far too much to think that way about you." Keitaro looked around the table at everyone, who all looked upon the brink of crying. "That goes for all of you…wait a minute…where is Su-chan?"

With a loud bang, the door to the dining area swung open, revealing Su, who had kicked the door in. She was decked out in her army fatigues and carrying a vast assortment of weapons ranging from hot springs turtle-shaped grenades to several modified water guns slung to her waist. She pointed directly at Keitaro and belted, "Imposter!"

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing guys. Wow I didn't expect to have this much support for this fic. It certainly makes it a lot easier to write when you have a waiting audience. I know you all just love chiffhangers, and this chapter is no exception. However, I promise to have the full story about what is happening to Keitaro next chapter. So stay tuned folks!


	7. Chapter 6

"_Stronger by weakness, wiser men become"_ – Edmund Waller

Chapter 6

A pall of silence shrouded the room as everybody gawked incredulously at Su, who wore a fierce, piercing stare that pointed straight at Keitaro.

"This person is not our Keitaro," Su barked, her eyes unmoving from her target as she reached towards her hip holster.

Keitaro yelped, ducking under the table as Su drew some sort of gun and pointed it in his direction. The rest jumped out of their seats, the chairs cracking loudly against the floor as they retreated, standing flush against the wall.

"What the hell is going on?" Keitaro shrieked in terror.

"How can he not be Keitaro?" Naru asked, trying to be the voice of reason for Su.

"His aura matches him perfectly," Motoko said. "Sky blue with a hint of yellow."

"Kaolla-san, can you put that down please, before someone gets hurt?" Shinobu asked, her knees buckling.

"Yeah, come on. He even smells like Keitaro," Kitsune added.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Keitaro cried out from his hiding spot.

"My DNA analyzer showed that there was a zero percent chance that that person under there is our Keitaro," Su said. "So he has to be an imposter sent by the evil Mecha Tama army to infiltrate our lives and destroy us all!"

Everyone released a sweat drop simultaneously at Su's profound deduction.

Floating in as if on cue, Tama-chan glided into the room from the kitchen, and landed on the table. "Myu!" she cried out, raising her left wing/arm, as if to say, "Here I am!"

"Ah! So you are the one responsible for this! I'll kill you where you stand, you fiend!" Su intoned, raising her gun towards the hot springs turtle. Tama-chan's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of a gun barrel pointing at her.

Su fired her weapon, and a green bolt of light shot out of the barrel. Tama-chan took to the air just in the nick of time, avoiding the laser that easily bore a half-dollar sized hole in the table. Keitaro scrambled out from under the table to avoid meeting the same fate. Meanwhile, the entire room was thrown into a panic as Su maniacally fired the gun at Tama-chan, who was desperate to escape death, weaving to and fro about the room.

Motoko finally took the initiative and tackled Su to the ground. "Ack, Motoko! Lemme go! I need to save Keitaro!"

"You'll kill us first!" Kitsune screeched.

"Oh, no," Keitaro whined.

Naru and Shinobu gasped, rushing over to where Keitaro was.

"Are you okay?" they both said in unison, after which they glanced at each other.

"Look at this place," Keitaro muttered, pointing towards the ceiling and adjacent walls.

The entire room had been turned into veritable Swiss cheese. Multiple holes of various sizes dotted every flat surface. The table, several of the chairs, and a dish rack were completely ruined. Black smoke fumed from all of the holes, filling the ceiling with what looked like a dark storm cloud.

All eyes turned back to Su, who was still pinned underneath Motoko. She just giggled nervously and said, "Whoops!"

After opening what was left of the windows in the kitchen and dining room to ventilate the area, the meeting moved to the common room. This time, however, Su was stripped of her weapons and bound at the hands and feet to keep her from doing anything drastic like that again. Adding insult to, well, insult, Tama-chan floated in, taking residence on top of Su's head. To the others, she seemed to be gloating about Su's current situation.

"Your device said that I am not me…it seems your device is a failure, Su-chan," Keitaro said sympathetically.

"No way," Su retorted. "It is working perfectly. I have tried it out on all of you guys, and I only get that error when it's pointing at you!" Su wiggled around, trying to shoo Tama off of her head.

"How can he not be Keitaro, though?" Naru asked, gazing in Keitaro's direction. He noticed her staring at him, and he turned his head slightly, trying to deflect her gaze. He was not opposed to her looking at him; he just didn't like being the center of attention, especially considering the circumstance.

"If he isn't our Keitaro, then there is no Keitaro," Kitsune concluded, slapping him on the back.

Keitaro winced from the impact. "Do you mind?" he asked, scooting away from Kitsune.

"This doesn't make any sense at all," Keitaro said, removing his glasses. He rubbed the bridge of his nose between his eyes for a few seconds before wincing. "Ouch! Man, it is still sore."

"I think I understand," Shinobu said.

"Understand what, Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro asked as he put his glasses back on.

"Do you have a headache, sempai?"

"Yeah, I do, actually, why?"

"Do you even remember the last time you had a headache?"

Keitaro chuckled. "Of course I do, it was…it was…when did I?"

"Ah, I think I understand where this is going," Kitsune quipped.

"Right," Shinobu nodded her head. "You can't remember the last time because there was no last time."

"Huh?"

Su began to wiggle and grunt furiously. She obviously had something to say, and wanted to get everyone's attention. When all eyes met her, she began. "It makes perfect sense now. The problem is not with my device. The problem is with you, Keitaro."

"How can there be something wrong with me? I feel…" He was about to say 'fine', but he would not be able to believe it himself, much less make anyone else believe it. Bruising, broken bones, headaches. These were things he had never experienced before. Something must be amiss. The evidence was far too convincing.

"Something is happening to you, Keitaro. Whatever it is, is it changing your DNA pattern. You are becoming a different person."

Keitaro was positively flustered. While everything made sense, he had a hard time wrapping his head around all of the information. He barely heard Kitsune suggest he visit his physician for some tests, and he nodded his head dumbly when Naru offered to go with him. After a bit of coaxing, Keitaro managed to schedule an appointment for the next day. With the meeting adjourned, everyone left for his or her respective rooms.

When they reached the second floor, Naru offered to help Keitaro to his room, since he was still lethargic from the shocking news. "I've got him," Kitsune replied reassuringly to Naru, waving her hand for Naru to go upstairs while she pushed Keitaro down the hallway.

When the two disappeared beyond the portal to Keitaro's room, Naru took one step towards them before thinking better of it. Instead, she climbed up another flight of stairs to her floor.

Meanwhile, a certain gaijin remained seated on the sofa in the common room, her restraints still hampering her movements. "Guys?" she called out. "Little help please?" she cajoled.

Tama-chan appeared. She floated right in front of Su's face and stuck her tongue out at the dark-skinned foreigner before moving off to her home. "I'll get you yet, you treacherous, green son-of-a…"

* * *

There were two sharp knocks at the door to Shinobu's room later that evening. Taking the interruption as a welcome break from her math homework, she called out, "Just a moment!" She closed her textbook and scrambled to her feet. When she opened the door, she unconsciously jumped backwards half a step. 

Motoko stood at her doorway; her head was hung low and her eyes were closed. After an uncomfortable moment's silence, Motoko asked, "May I come in?"

"S-sure," came Shinobu's nervous reply. She slid her door open another two feet and retreated to her desk.

Motoko stepped in quietly and shut the door behind her. She then looked up at Shinobu, who appeared to be terrified.

"_Is she here to take her revenge for what happened earlier? Aww, I can't fight her even if I needed to. Am I going to die here?" _Shinobu began to panic, her legs shaking like two leaves in the wind.

With a determined look on her face, Motoko slowly approached Shinobu, who glanced around the room for a place to escape to, or for a suitable weapon to use to defend herself.

However, Motoko stopped before she came within four feet of the girl. After another moment of stillness, Motoko slumped to her knees in front of Shinobu, and prostrated herself in front of her.

"I am sorry," Motoko said with her eyes to the floor. When she got over the initial shock of the situation, Shinobu could tell by the sound of her voice that Motoko was choking back tears.

Shinobu moved to console the swordswoman. "Don't do this, Motoko-sempai. I should be the one apologizing."

Motoko shook her head forcefully. "No! You don't understand, I nearly killed you today. And if it had not been for you…"

"Nonsense. Motoko-sempai could never hurt someone who didn't deserve it." Only after she had said the full sentence did Shinobu realize the folly of her reply.

Motoko gnashed her teeth and her body slumped in shame.

"Besides," Shinobu tried turning the topic around, "shouldn't you be apologizing to him?"

"Yes," Motoko said. "But this is something that I have to do first. Something I need to do to restore my honor." She raised her head at Shinobu, who was taken aback by her tear-streaked face. "Please accept my sincerest apology!"

Motoko pleading with anyone was a sight to behold. Her pleading with Shinobu caught her totally off guard. It took a moment to regain her composure. "Of course I accept."

* * *

Naru and Keitaro sat in muted silence over most of the 45-minute train ride to the city where Keitaro's doctor was. The only time anyone spoke during the ride was when Naru quipped a few words of encouragement to him every now and again. Keitaro would normally have been thrilled to be alone with Naru for most of the day, but under the circumstances, he could not bring himself to show any happiness, except for a weak smile when he held the door open to the physician's office for her. 

After filling out the appropriate paperwork, once again the couple sat quietly, watching an overhead monitor as it displayed information about all sorts of diseases. Naru glanced over at Keitaro, expecting to see a queasy look on his face. However, he seemed to be intently watching the program, soaking in all of the information that he could.

"Sorry for making you come all the way out here," Keitaro suddenly said.

"It's not a problem. I was the one that offered to come anyway."

"But still…"

"Hey, how about I take you out to lunch afterward?"

"What?" Keitaro turned his head to look at Naru. She wore a bubbly smile he had hardly seen in ages.

"You haven't eaten today yet, right? For the test?" Keitaro nodded dumbly. "Then let me treat you."

Keitaro shook his head. "Sorry."

"Why not?"

"Half-ies?"

"What-ies?"

"Only if I pay for half."

A toothy grin crept upon Naru's face. It was contagious. "Alright then."

Moments later, a rather portly looking nurse poked her head through the door to the rest of the office. "Urashima Keitaro…" she intoned, her voice as cold as the dead.

Both Keitaro and Naru stood and approached the door. The nurse halted Naru with a chubby hand. "Sorry, miss. Can't let you through unless you are family."

"Why not?" Keitaro asked. He really wanted Naru's support.

"Because I said so."

Naru scoffed. Keitaro was equally as quick on his feet, however. "What if she was my girlfriend?"

Naru gasped and turned red as a beet. "I think that would be okay," the nurse replied, looking at Keitaro more than a little suspiciously.

"Well, darling, shall we?" Keitaro reached out to Naru, and grabbed her swiftly by the hand. He pulled her along into the room before the nurse uncovered the lie. The nurse eyeballed the couple as she showed them to the examination room.

"Wait here."

"Right here?" Keitaro riposted, pointing directly at the ground where he was.

The nurse smirked before pulling the door closed as she left. The couple waited several seconds before talking. After the sound of the nurse's footsteps died away, Naru bonked Keitaro lightly over the head.

"Ow, what the hell was that for?" Keitaro rubbed his head where Naru struck him.

"Since when are we dating?"

"Since I wanted you to be here with me."

Naru did not protest any further.

"I don't want to do this by myself," Keitaro said, "and I figured you wouldn't want to be left alone out there either."

While Keitaro spoke, Naru slipped her hand into his, interlacing her fingers with his. "What are you doing, Narusegawa?"

Naru rested herself against Keitaro's shoulder. "Playing the part."

Keitaro's body was relaxed, but every fiber inside of him was tensed to the point of breaking. Thinking he was just dreaming again, he instinctively squeezed Naru's hand for a moment, thinking she would break the hold. Much to his surprise, she squeezed his hand affectionately in response.

Keitaro could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Even with Naru's head rested against his shoulder, he could have sworn she could hear it. The sweet scent of Naru's hair conditioner wafted into Keitaro's nose, and he inhaled deeply. After a few moments, Keitaro began to relax. He could not see her face from his position, but by the pace of Naru's breathing, he could tell she had dozed off. It made Keitaro feel a little better that he was not the only one unable to sleep last night.

The door suddenly swung open, and Keitaro's doctor, looking rather weathered from his job, stepped into the room, perusing something on a clipboard. The unexpected sound jolted Naru awake, and she released Keitaro's hand before the doctor looked up. "Urashima Keitaro, eh?" the doctor said flippantly.

"That would be me," Keitaro said rather nervously.

"I am Dr. Ishii. It says here you are here for some blood-work. Is this correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's great! We want everyone to get checked for sexually transmitted diseases before having intercourse!"

Keitaro just about choked himself in his own saliva while Naru's jaw hit the floor with a loud, metallic clanging sound. "Wait, what?" Keitaro stammered out.

The doctor was beaming from behind his oversized reading glasses. "Have you ever seen what syphilis does to you? It's not a pretty picture!"

Naru attempted to protest. "Excuse me, doctor, that's not why we are here."

The doctor cackled for a bit while he removed his glasses, putting them back into a hard case, which he stored back into his overcoat pocket. "I understand, young lady," the doctor responded, still chuckling. "I suppose you're here just to check your, ahem, triglycerides and cholesterol, then?" The physician's tone was openly sarcastic, and he put special emphasis on triglycerides and cholesterol. He winked several times for good measure.

"Whatever," Keitaro responded. "I'm just looking to find out if there is anything out of the ordinary with me."

"Sure enough then. Shall we get started?"

The peculiar physician led the couple through another corridor and into another room that had equipment for drawing blood. While the overweight nurse from before tied off Keitaro's arm for the drawing of blood, the doctor began a thorough explanation on the correct usage of condoms. Right about the time the nurse exchanged the second full vial of Keitaro's blood, Naru was being wheedled and cajoled into rolling a condom onto a banana.

Half a pint of blood later, both Naru and Keitaro were both experts on prophylactics. After a few minutes' rest for Keitaro, the doctor informed him the results would take a few days. Before the couple finally left the office, however, Keitaro was the proud owner of a brand new box of twenty generic condoms, courtesy of Dr. Ishii, who pressed it into his unwilling hands forcefully, quipping something about "sheathing his sword".

"I feel so dirty right now," Naru said while they wandered down the streets towards the train station whence they came. Keitaro nodded in agreement. After a few moments' silence, Keitaro began to snicker. Naru apparently was holding back as well, as she started to break out into a fit of laughter. Soon, they were both sore and out of breath from belly laughs.

"You want to get something to eat?" Naru offered, still panting.

"Yeah, I'm famished," Keitaro giggled.

"I know a good place."

"Lead on, then."

* * *

It was well past sunset by the time Naru and Keitaro returned to Hinata Sou. Lunch had stretched into a movie, which stretched into dinner before catching a late train back to town. The atmosphere was friendly throughout the day. Keitaro dared not attempt anything. It was enough for him to have a pleasant day with Naru rather than spoil it with any tomfoolery. 

They stopped in front of the entrance to the apartments. "I had a really nice time today," Naru said almost bashfully.

"Me too. Thanks a lot for helping me get my mind off of things."

Naru smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Naru?"

Now Keitaro almost never used her given name when he spoke to her. He always used her surname when referring to her either directly or in conversation with others about her. This fact was not lost on Naru either. "Hey, you just called me Naru for the first time that I can remember."

Keitaro cringed inwardly. "Is that okay?"

"Of course! Now, what were you saying?"

"Well, I was wondering if…well…if maybe we could…"

Naru smiled at Keitaro while he stumbled over his words. It was obvious where he was heading. But before she could offer a reply, a raucous bellow blared from beyond the front door. Breaking the awkward moment, Keitaro turned and opened the door.

Kitsune was screaming at the television when they walked in, and she did not even notice their entrance. By the time they removed their shoes and jackets and stepped into the foyer, Kitsune was cheering out loud and bouncing around, gripping a slip of paper in her hand.

When she finally noticed the couple standing there bemused, Kitsune froze like a statue, her voice trailing off. "Heheh, I won pretty big. Looks like I'll make rent on time this month."

Keitaro walked over to the couch and sat down. "Perhaps I should just take your rent now, so you don't blow it on sake and beer again."

"Not a chance in hell, kanrinin-san," Kitsune retorted, a toothy grin on her face as she gazed in admiration at her horse race slip.

"You guys want anything from the kitchen?" Naru offered as she walked across the room towards the said room.

"I wouldn't mind a beer, if you don't mind," Kitsune replied, still giddy over her rare victory.

"No thanks," Keitaro returned.

After Naru disappeared beyond the doorway to the kitchen, humming a wandering tune, Kitsune tiptoed over to Keitaro and sat down next to him. "So, tell me."

"Tell you what?" Keitaro asked, acting aloof.

"I want to know everything that happened. When Naru called and said you two would be out for most of the day, I almost wet myself!"

Keitaro could not help but laugh at Kitsune's comment. "I'm telling you nothing happened."

Kitsune cocked her head at Keitaro so that she was peering at him with one eye. "You can't lie to this eye, Keitaro. If you kissed, you must tell the eye."

Keitaro turned to stare intently into Kitsune's "all-knowing eye". "No-thing…happ-ened…"

Kitsune harrumphed. "Boring…oh well. From the looks of you, it doesn't seem like you did anything to piss her off, at least. I guess you really can get through a date without doing anything stupid."

Keitaro clicked his tongue. "As if it was a real date," he muttered. "I didn't even try to hold her hand or anything."

Kitsune chuckled under her breath. "All in good time, my dear apprentice. All in good time."

After another few minutes of thoughtless banter, Naru returned with an opened bottle of beer for Kitsune and a glass of lemonade for herself. She sat in the love seat across from Keitaro, and Kitsune noticed them exchange glances and half-hidden smiles.

Kitsune bit her tongue. If there really were any sparks flying between them finally, she thought it best not to interfere. At least, not until it passed fledgling status. So she switched gears.

"So how did the doctor's visit go?" Kitsune asked.

"It was…" Keitaro began.

"Informative," Naru finished.

After sharing a giggle, Keitaro got serious. "We'll find out in a couple days, I guess. The doctor seemed a bit weird, but apparently he is one of the best around here, so we'll see."

"Well, in that case," Kitsune stood up, raising her ticket over her head. "These funds will go to sponsor the 'Keitaro is just fine' party!"

"Hey, I thought that was your rent money!" Keitaro interposed, pointing at the ticket.

Kitsune winked at him. "This winner was a 50-1 long shot. There's plenty here, don't worry. This one is completely on me!"

Naru leaned back, crossing her legs and folding her arms over her chest. "Oh really?" she asked sardonically.

"I swear I've heard that before," Keitaro inserted sarcastically.

"Would I lie to you?" Kitsune asked, batting her eyelashes.

* * *

The wait, at least for Keitaro, was tolerable at best, excruciating at worst. Sleeping at night was, for the most part, out of the question. Nightmares about some sort of incurable, malignant disease showing up in the results plagued him. Each night he woke up in a cold sweat, and he needed to change clothes and walk around the building for twenty minutes before attempting sleep again. Invariably, he ended up staring at the ceiling until the sun peeked over the horizon. 

Daytime was not that much better. He did not have concern himself with nightmares, but he found himself exhausted by noontime. More than once he nearly toppled out of the third story while cleaning the outside of the windows. He even dozed off at the dinner table. He would have had a face full of miso soup and rice had Su not jostled him awake.

Luckily, he had one peaceful night's sleep: the last day before the results were due. He stretched out his weary limbs languidly before sitting up in his futon. He glanced around the room, wondering how he got there. The last thing he remembered was reading at his desk. How did he get back to his futon? Assuming he must have crawled back to bed at some point, Keitaro decided to face the music. He dressed himself and went downstairs.

If anything could cheer Keitaro up, it was the perennial, wonderful aroma emanating from the kitchen every morning. Each time the smell was somewhat different, as Shinobu experimented with different combinations of flavors and spices, but it always smelled so good! Keitaro poked into the kitchen and took a gander at the pots and skillets, basking in the olfactory emanations of what appeared to be an interesting medley of traditional Japanese dishes meshed with some American entrees.

"Good morning, sempai," Shinobu greeted Keitaro, wearing the same cheerful smile as she usually did when they first met in the morning.

"Good morning. This smell is like a magnet," Keitaro said, pretending to be a zombie drawn to the food still cooking.

Shinobu giggled, waving a wooden spoon in Keitaro's direction. "Back, zombie! The food still needs to cook more. Off with you."

The two shared a few chuckles before Keitaro poured himself a glass of juice and let himself out of the kitchen.

The breakfast passed like the hundred breakfasts the house had shared before. Su entered next, this time taking care not to issue a flying kick to Keitaro's head. Naru entered next, still dressed in her pajamas, followed by Motoko, who looked much better, all things considered. Naru and Keitaro glanced at each other a few times, sharing crooked smiles with each other. A few minutes after Shinobu served the food, Kitsune staggered in, hung over, but no worse for the wear, at least as far as her appetite was concerned. She served herself a heaping helping of scrambled eggs with a bowl of miso.

For the first time in a while, Keitaro felt at ease. While the concept of a routine breakfast may have seemed boring, it gave Keitaro a sense of normalcy for the first time in a considerable amount of time. He shared laughs with the others as Kitsune told everyone of her latest dating disaster. Su, much to Shinobu's chagrin, blurted out how one of her classmates told her that he liked Shinobu. Of course, Motoko then warned Shinobu about the cunning tactics men will use to get what they want from a woman. Amazingly, Motoko recognized Keitaro's existence, saying, "present company excepted."

All in all, it was an enjoyable, relaxing meal. Afterward, while each person helped clean up the mess left from the meal, the phone in the common room began to ring. Keitaro called out that he would get it, dashed over to the phone, steeling his nerves before answering. "Hai, Urashima Keitaro desu."

"Keitaro-kun! This is Dr. Ishii. I have your test results here. I am a little concerned about these results. I would like you to come down to my office so I can consult with you properly."

His worst fears seemingly realized, Keitaro did not answer immediately. Only when Dr. Ishii spoke again to make sure he was there did he answer. "Yes sir, I'll be there today. Thank you." Slowly, Keitaro lowered the handset and placed it back onto the wall. His hand slumped from the receiver, falling onto the counter.

* * *

A/N: Another chapter in the books! Four chapters left in this story. Things are heating up now. Thanks all for your support and encouraging reviews. Honestly, this chapter came out a lot faster than I thought it would, all things considered (work/school/life/etc.). Keep them reviews coming, good or bad! Oh, and I have to thank darksoulessbody17 for helping me with the doctor's office scene. I had no idea how to write that before he suggested some...things... :P 

Anyways, thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 7

**_"There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go." - Author Unknown_**

Chapter 7

"Thanks, Haruka-san. I'll be right down, then. Bye." Keitaro hung up the phone receiver. He leaned against the counter heaving a deep sigh.

Kitsune, seated on the sofa next to the phone, turned her head to look at Keitaro. "So, Haruka-san is going with you this time?"

Keitaro walked right past Kitsune towards the door, responding with a solemn nod.

"No Naru then?"

"I'd rather her not be there," Keitaro said. He could not have sounded more depressed.

"I'm sure you're just fine. The party will be ready for you when you get back." Try as she might, Kitsune could not bolster Keitaro's mood. He continued toward the door, his head hung low, without responding. Without so much as another peep, Keitaro slipped his shoes on and walked out of the building.

* * *

Haruka turned the bolt over on the door to the teashop, putting the key back into her pocket. She fired up a cigarette, and began to pace around the area while waiting for her nephew. Be the time Keitaro appeared, Haruka had nearly finished her cigarette. With a simple nod of acknowledgement, the two walked down the remaining stairs, towards the train station.

Although she would not have let it on to Keitaro, Haruka was nervous for him. Doctors don't ask you to come back to their office to discuss blood test results unless there was something amiss. When he called her to ask her to come with him, she immediately understood the gravity of the situation from the tone of Keitaro's voice. He needed a rock; someone to fall back on. Why Keitaro had not asked Naru to come with him again was a question Haruka had as well, but she thought better than to ask him. He must have a reason.

Several minutes after boarding the train, Keitaro finally looked up from the ground. "How is business?" he asked, if for nothing else than to break the ice.

Haruka was snapped from her own thoughts by the sudden question. "Oh, about the same as always. Old men reminiscing about a long gone past, married middle-aged men making passes at me, and some of your tenants looking for relationship advice. Business has been pretty good lately in that last category."

Keitaro squinted through his glasses at his aunt.

"Look, Keitaro, I'll just skip right to the point." Keitaro gulped while Haruka closed her eyes and took a breath. She placed a hand over Keitaro's. "We all care about you. No matter what, no one will think less of you. Whatever the outcome is."

Keitaro's eyes returned to his feet. "I don't think they could think less of me if they tried."

Haruka, with a deep sigh, closed her eyes and shook her head. This boy didn't know anything. She lashed out, slapping Keitaro soundly upside the back of his head, causing him to nearly topple over.

"Ouch, damn it, what the hell was that for?" Keitaro asked vehemently, rubbing the sore spot where he had been hit.

"When are you going to stop feeling sorry for yourself, huh?" Haruka hissed. "I'm really starting to get sick and tired of this cat and mouse game you are playing with yourself."

Keitaro was shocked. He had never seen Haruka this bent out of shape. "What do you mean?" was the only reply he could muster.

"What the hell do you want, Keitaro Urashima?"

Keitaro's eyes darted all over the place. He thought he knew exactly what he wanted. To reach Toudai with his first love. To find happiness. But recent developments had begun to change his perception about what happiness really was.

"Well, when you find out, could you please let me know," Haruka said mockingly, folding her arms and turning away from Keitaro. "You might want to let one of your tenants know, too," she added, her voice softening.

Either Keitaro did not hear Haruka's last comment or did not let it sink in, for he offered no reply.

* * *

"Ah, welcome back, Urashima-kun. I trust you found our product to be useful for you, eh," the eccentric doctor asked, winking at Keitaro. Keitaro nearly retched, coughing back the rising bile in his throat. The doctor then turned his attention onto Haruka. "And look here, you've brought another good-looking lady. You sure get around, don't you, Urashima-kun?"

Keitaro threw his hands up in defeat while Haruka raised an eyebrow at the doctor. "Just what are you implying, doctor? This is my nephew."

"Can you just get to the results of my test, please?" Keitaro, scared to death of what he was about to hear, suddenly found himself wanted the information immediately, so he could flee the mad doctor's office as soon as possible.

A few nervous moments of silence passed while Dr. Ishii consulted his charts. Keitaro breathed deeply several times, glancing at the ceiling while his right leg shook nervously.

"Ah, here it is," the doctor began, his tone suddenly becoming serious.

Keitaro realized he had been holding his breath, and consciously tried to breath normally while the doctor continued.

"There is something we found to be quite interesting about your cells, Urashima-kun. It seems you have two different kinds of cells in your system. One type of these cells is completely normal. They are like any other cells you would see in a normal person. However, there is another type of cell that we have not seen before."

"What other type of cell?" Keitaro asked as his interest piqued his curiosity, as nervous as it made him.

"These cells are essentially normal, except they have some sort of gene that triggers an exponential increase in metabolism when exposed to trauma."

"Mind giving that to use in layman's terms, doctor?" Haruka asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Let's put it this way: these cells work like normal until something hits them. Then they go into overdrive. They multiply rapidly, healing most wounds that would take months to recover from normally in only a few minutes."

"You mean, that's how I'm invincible?" Keitaro wondered aloud.

"Well, I don't know about invincible. These cells certainly don't make you impervious to pain. They just heal physical injuries at an unnatural rate. However," Dr. Ishii paused.

"However, what?" Keitaro asked. He had just begun to feel better about his situation until the doctor said that word.

"I don't understand how you got these cells. In fact, no one in the health community I've spoken to has any idea how you got them. What we do know however is that every time they go into this overdrive mode, they lose some of their potency. After several trials conducted in the lab, they started dying on their own. Soon after that, there were only normal cells left in your blood."

Everything became clear to Keitaro in an instant. "My invincibility is dying," he stated.

"That seems to be correct, Urashima-kun. Even in your other samples that have not had trials performed on them these special cells are dying off at an ever-increasing rate. By our estimation, in about three weeks, all of these cells will be gone. It's really too bad. These cells are a cause for extensive study."

"What happens when they all die?" Haruka asked.

"It's hard to tell. There are a lot of them, and they are dying pretty quickly. We can't say for sure if your body has a dependence on these cells or not. Only time will tell the story. If we learn anything else we'll let you know right away."

The doctor droned on about Keitaro's special cells, but Keitaro did not hear another word come out of the doctor's mouth after he said 'three weeks'. He could very well have only 21 days to live. What about his promise? To his childhood friend? To Naru? What about Hinata Sou?

With Dr. Ishii's suggestion, Keitaro donated another pint of his blood for scientific research before he and Haruka left his office. Keitaro looked to Haruka like a zombie, and the mood was hopelessly somber for the trip back to Hinata Onsen.

* * *

"You promised to help us, Kitsune," Naru growled at her friend, dropping a handful of party favors on the coffee table. "Get up off of your ass and help me put this streamer up."

"Do I have to, mommy?" Kitsune cajoled, nursing a small glass of wine.

"This was your idea in the first place, Kitsune-san," Motoko noted from the top of a ladder across the room. She finished taping one end of an orange paper streamer to the corner of the wall and climbed down.

After a quick sip from her glass, Kitsune leaned forward. "Hey, I only said I would pay for it. And I did, didn't I?"

Naru cocked her head in Kitsune's direction, putting her hands on her hips. "Sure, but you got only bare necessities and even those were on the cheap."

Kitsune returned to slouching in the sofa, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Regardless, I held up to my end of the bargain."

Naru rubbed her sinus area. She knew it was pointless to argue with Kitsune once she had her mind made up. She would probably just slack off anyway, making the process take even more time. Naru picked up a roll of paper streamer and sulked away with a huff.

Even worse for the people actually working on getting the party set up, Kitsune seemed to be bossing them all around. She barked orders to them such as where decorations should be placed, food settings, furniture placement and such. By the time the project was finished, even Shinobu was ready to wring Kitsune's neck. But they all remembered whom this was for, and they pulled themselves together to get it done.

And it was not a moment too soon, either. Not even five minutes after the preparations were hurriedly completed, Keitaro slid the front door open, stepped in, and removed his shoes. Haruka followed suit. "We're back, everyone," he murmured.

"Okairi," the girls said in unison, bowing deeply at the waist. The volume of their voices caught Keitaro by surprise. He looked up, seeing all of his tenants lined up in single file, and the common area decked out with streamers and confetti.

Su jumped out, revealing a banner that read, "Get well soon!" "Welcome back, Keitaro," she exclaimed.

Shinobu bonked Su on the head with a platter tray. "That's not the right sign!"

Keitaro was taken aback. "You really did?"

"Of course," Kitsune gloated, folding her arms over her chest. "I even paid for it like I promised."

"Too bad that was about all you were good for," Naru returned.

Ignoring the two bickering friends, Motoko stepped forward to get Keitaro's attention. "Did everything come out okay?"

Keitaro could tell Motoko was sincerely concerned. Unable to form the correct words, Haruka interposed herself. "Perhaps you girls should all sit down so we can talk about this."

In less than two minutes, all parties save Keitaro were seated, waiting for the ronin to explain his results. He looked at each of them. They were all looking right at him. He had their undivided attention. He could not recall the last time he held this much power over other people. They all looked genuinely concerned. Even Su sat patiently, looking at him with a look of curiosity.

Gathering his resolve, Keitaro dropped his bombshell. How first told them about his different cells as best as he could in layman's terms. After being certain they understood, he went on. "My special cells are dying." He tried to keep his voice as even as possible.

"What do you mean by that?" Motoko asked.

"It is as I've said. They are dying off."

"What happens when they are all gone?" Shinobu said, her voice cracking with panic already.

Keitaro just looked down and shook his head. "They…don't really know."

"How long until…" Naru's voice completely broke down. If anyone had been looking at her, they would have seen her lower lip quivering like a leaf in the wind.

Not answering immediately, Keitaro took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He sniffed, breathed in deeply, and looked right into Naru's eyes.

"Three weeks."

With those words, Keitaro's party was officially cancelled.

* * *

Haruka set a tray laden with all of the trappings of a tea set on the table where Keitaro sat. Both remained silent as she poured tea into two glasses and sat across from him. After taking several sips, Keitaro finally broke the silence. "I don't know what to do."

"I don't understand what is changing, Keitaro. Other than being susceptible to injury, nothing is going to be different."

"We don't know that for sure. The doctor himself said that they don't know exactly what will happen to me when it's gone completely. I very well might…"

Haruka interrupted. "You are not going anywhere, Keitaro," she said evenly, belying the fear in her own heart. She could not bear to hear it herself.

Keitaro ran his finger around the rim of his teacup. "I should be prepared for it, though. I could very well only have three more weeks to live. And even if nothing happens, its not like living at Hinata Sou will be the safest environment for me."

Keitaro had a point. Haruka remained silent.

"I guess there is only one thing to do. I must ask a favor of you, Haruka-san."

Keitaro looked more determined than he had ever been before. "Anything you want, Keitaro," Haruka replied.

As soon as Keitaro told her his request, Haruka regretted making that promise.

* * *

Naru leaned backwards against the wall of the hot spring, her head resting against a rock as she gazed upon the cloudy, opaque sky. The rumbling of thunder reached her ears from the distance. "It looks like rain," she noted aloud.

Next to Naru, Kitsune was resting her head on her arms as she laid belly first against an adjacent stone. She turned her head upward slightly to glance at the clouds gathering in the atmosphere. "Yeah," she replied flatly.

Motoko sat across from the two friends, trying to meditate. She was obviously disquieted, however. Her eyes kept snapping open and shut and her mouth trembled.

Shinobu sat next to Motoko, resting her head on her shoulder. She lazily moved her legs in the warm water, creating small ripples in the still liquid. Without looking up from the water, Shinobu said, "Su locked herself in her room again."

"I wondered where she went," Naru replied. "She vanished right after." There was no need to finish the statement. They all knew what she meant.

Motoko broke from her reverie again. "I cannot help but get the feeling this whole thing could have somehow been prevented."

Kitsune turned around to face the group. "I don't think any one of us could say we saw this coming."

Motoko shook her head vehemently. "But I did. And yet, I nearly…" she cut herself off, glancing at Shinobu.

"If that's the case, I am equally at fault," Naru said. "If not more so. I beat him so many times, and I can't even recall why. Sure, he peeked on us and touched our breasts and legs, but we've all done the same to him."

"I used sex as a weapon against him and extorted an executive's yearly salary from him, too," Kitsune said, laying her thoughts down with the others. "And what did I spend it on? Liquor and gambling. So who is worse now?"

"I passed judgment against him without getting to know him," Shinobu cut in. "And I've toyed with his feelings. I'm partly to blame too."

So there it was. All of their dirty laundry was laid bare to each other and to the world. None of them could bear to look at each other, or even at their own reflections in the pool. They sat in silence, the rolling thunder from the approaching storm the only sound breaking the quiet.

* * *

Later that evening, Naru lay on her futon, reading a book. At least, she tried to read her book. Instead, she stared longingly at her Liddo-kun doll resting on the wooden square used to cover the hole to Keitaro's room. She caught herself staring at it at least a half dozen times, each time berating herself for a lack of focus. After the ninth time, she heard a soft rapping at her door. "Yes?" she called out.

"Naru, can you come downstairs, please?" It was Haruka.

Before answering, Naru looked at her alarm clock. It read quarter until midnight.

"You know how late it is, Haruka-san?"

"Yes. Please come downstairs. Keitaro would like to talk to all of you."

"Keitaro?" Naru asked, puzzled. She threw on sweater and her slippers and followed Haruka downstairs.

Everyone else was already seated around the chair that Keitaro was occupying when Naru reached the first floor. "What's going on here?"

Keitaro bounced to his feet. "Please, sit here, Narusegawa."

Apprehensively, Naru complied. When she got close to him, she could see that Keitaro's eyes were somewhat red, as if he had been crying recently. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest when she sat down. The others seemed equally as nervous, seated on the very edge of their chairs, waiting for Keitaro to begin. Once again, Su was absent.

Haruka walked over to where Keitaro stood and nodded to him.

Keitaro took a deep breath. "As you have probably guessed, I've brought you all down here because of what happened earlier today. And I want you all to please sit and just listen to me until I finish because I know I'm going to mess this up when I say it."

Keitaro took a few more deep breaths, making sure to look each of his tenants in the eyes. As he started to speak again, his voice began to crack. "Due to my medical condition, I will be stepping down as manager of Hinata Sou effective immediately. Haruka-san has agreed to take over my position temporarily until I…she can find a suitable replacement."

Kitsune was the first to react. She started looking around the room. "Okay, now I'm convinced that this is some sort of practical joke. Where is the camera?"

"Unfortunately, Kitsune-san, this is no joke," Keitaro replied.

Motoko was also in denial. "This is madness. How can we trust someone else to keep this place in order?"

"Haruka-san is more than able to perform all of the required duties here. She agreed to do this on my request."

Shinobu became panic-stricken. "Is it something I did? Please don't leave me! I'll do anything, just please don't go! I need you! God, please don't take him from me!" She ran into Keitaro, wrapping her arms around him and desperately clinging to him as she continued to ramble on uncontrollably.

This sight caused Kitsune to break down and she left the room crying like she had not done since she was a little girl.

"Why are you doing this?" Naru asked, befuddled. "You can't just abandon us like this!"

"I'm doing this for all of you. I don't want to see you get hurt," Keitaro tried to explain while he consoled Shinobu.

Naru rose to her feet. "You call this 'not hurting us'? Look at what you've done!"

"Naru, you don't understand!"

Naru began to stalk towards Keitaro, unbridled rage building in her voice. "No, I understand perfectly. You want to run away from your problems. You want to abandon those who love you because you think your problems are yours alone. You think your problems have nothing to do with us, so you want to run away with your tail between your legs! You're nothing but a spineless coward, Urashima Keitaro!" By the time Naru said Keitaro's name, her voice had risen to a shrill shriek.

"It's not that simple, Naru. I," but Keitaro's voice was cut off by a loud, stinging slap from Naru that lashed him powerfully across his face. Keitaro reeled backwards from the force of the blow, but Shinobu kept him from falling.

"Just say that you don't care about us," Naru said, her voice returned to a normal volume and pitch. "Say that you don't love me, and I'll never bother you again. You can do whatever you want. Leave; run home to mommy and daddy. Whatever. Just let me hear you say it."

Time stood still for Keitaro. He was just asked to do the impossible. But deep down, he knew the impossible was necessary. Necessary for himself, for Naru, Shinobu, everyone. The mere thought disgusted him, but his hand was forced. They would never let him leave otherwise.

"I…don't…love you…"

Haruka closed her eyes and shook her head.

Naru sniffed back her tears, trying to retain some of her crushed dignity. She stumbled to the stairs, and climbed them ever so slowly, but without looking back.

Haruka pried Shinobu away from Keitaro's chest, and he had a large wet spot on his shirt where Shinobu had let her tears out. Haruka led Shinobu into the kitchen to clean her up.

Keitaro slid into a chair, feeling sick to his stomach. The only one left in the room with him was Motoko. She stood and approached him. "Are you really going to leave?"

Keitaro responded with a defeated nod.

"Then I hope one day you will find it within your heart to forgive us for what we have done to you." With that, Motoko bowed and padded back up the stairs to her floor.

Keitaro stared at the wall with a blank stare for what must have seemed like hours. Motoko's statement did not register in his brain until much later.

Naru began to stagger as she reached her floor. She heaved sobs and began to hyperventilate. She eventually collapsed in front of her room, crying hysterically.

The rain fell throughout the night, not stopping until daybreak. Thunder and lightning continued to crash around Hinata Onsen. There was not much sleep to be had throughout the town that night.

* * *

A/N: None this time. Thanks for reading and reviewing. 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

They wanted to believe that Keitaro was pulling some sort of stunt. They figured that he would either not have the guts to follow through, or he would not have the means necessary to move out. Naru, especially, spent the night clinging to the hope that he would come to his senses and apologize. All the same, they found Keitaro had left early the next morning, before any of them woke.

He did not leave without some notice, however. He left his tenants a personal letter, placing them in front of their doors. He then packed up a few essentials, called for a cab, and left the building. He would call for a pickup of his things later. He did this so no one had the opportunity to change his mind about his decision. He felt, or rather, he knew that he was doing the right thing. No matter what the cost.

Su was the first to stumble onto her letter. Tired from a 36-hour session of work on a new device that could help Keitaro with his problem, she meandered out of her room at about 3:00 am to use the bathroom. When she returned, she saw the letter placed meticulously in front of her room. Seeing her name written on it, she snatched it up and went back into her room. Lying on her favorite branch of her favorite tree, Su opened the letter, squinting with her weary eyes at the words written on it.

_Dear Kaolla Su,_

_Good morning! This is Keitaro. I know you are hard at work, making something amazing. I'm sorry to tell you this, but by the time you read this letter, I will no longer be here. I know you probably will not understand right away, but I cannot stay here any longer. But don't worry. I am just going home to my parents. It's funny, I'm telling you where I am, but you could find me instantly with one of your inventions. _

_I am sorry that I will not be able to play with you like we used to. I never let on to it, but thinking back, it was a lot of fun being your guinea pig. I felt like I was helping to advance the technology of mankind. But now, doing things like before is impossible. I am really going to miss that._

_You are the brightest person I have ever met before. You have the whole world at your fingertips. All of your dreams are within your reach. You just have to reach out and take them. Reach for the stars, Su-chan! I know you will get there!_

_You always told me that I reminded you of your brother. I never realized how much that meant to me until now. To tell the truth, I have always thought of you as the sister I never had. A strange sister, but mine nonetheless. I will always be there for you, whether I am with you physically or not. Always remember that I love you, and I will miss you dearly._

_Keitaro_

Su lowered the letter from her face. Wiping a few tears away with the sleeve of her work shirt, she put the letter back into the envelope. Not knowing what else to do, she curled up into a ball and stared broodingly out of the window. A smile curled on her lips as she clutched the letter in her hands. She stayed that way until well past the crack of dawn.

* * *

Motoko was becoming sick of lying there staring at the ceiling. The images of Keitaro telling Naru that he did not love her and watching one of her best friend's hearts get smashed into a pulp were etched in her memory, and no form or amount of quiet meditation would shake them.

Not knowing what else to do with her nervous energy, Motoko decided on an extremely early session of training. A good kata, she figured, would help take her mind off of things. She had just finished tying her shoes when she heard something slide underneath her door. She moved to retrieve it, and saw her name written on a letter-sized envelope. She picked up the letter, sitting down on her futon to read it.

_Dear Motoko,_

_If I am guessing correctly, you probably heard me slip this letter under your door. In fact, I am willing to bet you were about to go outside and train. I'm right, aren't I? Anyhow, this will be my last correspondence with you before I leave. Yes, I am leaving this morning, before the others wake up. You were right. A male managing an all-girls dormitory is impossible. It is far too dangerous for any normal man to live here. Not too say I was extraordinary by any means. _

_I do not think you will interfere with my plans. After all, this is exactly what you have wanted since I arrived here. However, what you told me last night has been on my mind ever since. I want you to understand that you are in no way at fault for what happened. I get the feeling that this day would have come regardless of the circumstances._

_If anyone is at fault for this, it is I. I am weak, I have no exceptional talents, and my only motivation is some faceless girl from fifteen years ago. I am tired of chasing impossible dreams. I need to play the cards I have been dealt, instead of trying to fake it. I am sure you can understand that sentiment._

_You have your whole life ahead of you. You seem to know exactly what you want and have all the tools necessary to achieve your goals. I envy you in that respect. You have so much to offer the world, and what have I done? I have squandered every opportunity I have ever had. I am a failure. It is about time I admitted it._

_I want to be more like you, to be comfortable in my own skin. Perhaps that is one of the major reasons I am doing this. You have been my magnifying glass, peeling away my façade and revealing the real me. Thank you for that._

_My hope is that sometime in the future, if we ever meet again, you will still call me "friend". Goodbye, and good luck._

_Urashima_

"You really do not understand anything, do you?" Motoko asked the letter. She reread one particular sentence over and over. "_I want to be more like you, to be comfortable in my own skin." _"Is that how you saw me?"

Motoko gazed at her reflection in her full-length mirror. Her statuesque figure peered back at her. But that is not what she saw. She saw an oversized, behemoth-like tomboy. She hated the person staring back at her. She forcefully yanked her vision away from the mirror, once again viewing the letter in her hands. "Urashima…I mean, Keitaro-san, you are the one that is too good for us."

* * *

Shinobu sat in the corner of her bed, clinging onto her large stuffed bear. She had been sitting that way, crying constantly for most of the night. The sun began to peek over the horizon, shining directly into her face, causing her to squint against the brightness. "Morning already?" she thought. The sun continued to rise, the light nearly blinding Shinobu. With a deep groan, Shinobu resigned herself to her duties.

With a fantastic breakfast in mind for Keitaro on most likely his last day in the dorm, Shinobu threw her door open. Her foot kicked the letter in front of her, and she stooped to pick it up. Her name was on the envelope. She sat at her desk to read it.

_Dear Shinobu_

_I'm sorry about last night. I really hate making you cry like that. It seems that is the only thing I am good at these days: Making people cry. That is why I have left. Yes, I will be long gone by the time you read this. I think leaving now will make it easier on everyone, especially you._

_It has given me great joy to be around you. You have an inner beauty and grace that I have never seen in anyone before. You brighten up a room just with your presence. Your smile is contagious. I do not think I could have made it even this far without you._

_I know about your feelings for me. I failed to understand until last night, how you begged for me to stay. I was so blind, unable to see something like that right under my nose. Anyone would be lucky to have you, but I am just not worthy of your love. There are a lot more guys out there that are much better suited for you. In a few years, they will be breaking your door down and fighting over who gets to hold your hand. I really hope I can see that day. I'm sorry._

_You really saved my life, and not just the last time. Whenever I was down, something you did would pick me back up again. Even if the result was merely delaying the inevitable, no one ever stood up for me the way you did. From the very bottom of my heart, I thank you. _

_I know you may not understand now, but this is the best way I can return the favor. But realize that you will always be in my heart, and I will never forget you._

_Keitaro_

A few tears fell onto the paper as Shinobu finished reading her letter. But she could not help but smile through the pain, as Keitaro finally noticed her love. It did not matter that much to her that he rejected her. She was content in the fact that she was finally acknowledged.

"Forgive me, sempai," Shinobu said as she ran her fingers over Keitaro's handwriting. "I will never stop loving you." She raised the letter to her face, and she pressed her lips against Keitaro's signature. Replacing the letter back into its envelope, Shinobu whispered a soft goodbye to her crush. She left the letter lying in plain sight on the middle of her desk before walking out of her room, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes.

* * *

An alarm clock blared loudly in Kitsune's room, its grating screech echoing off the walls. "Urusei na," Kitsune groaned, turning over in her futon. Curling her hand into a ball, she punched the snooze button on the alarm, and the incessant ringing stopped, if only temporarily. "I finally get to sleep and the stupid alarm goes off."

Kitsune spent the majority of the evening drinking into a stupor. She wanted to forget what happened last night, and alcohol was the perfect numbing agent. However, its after-effects always left their mark. The sound of the alarm had stopped, but the noise continued in her head in the tune of a massive percussion section drumming over and over in her skull.

Like an automaton, Kitsune went right into "hangover suppression mode". She slithered out of bed and padded over to a nearby cabinet. She retrieved a bottle from it marked "The Cure". She opened the bottle and tipped it backwards, pouring a small amount of the pills inside directly into her mouth. She washed the bitter medication down with a half-empty bottle of warm sake.

The aftertaste from the pills sent a disgusted shiver down Kitsune's spine. After a few moments of letting her eyes adjust to the sunlight beaming into her room, Kitsune spotted a closed envelope near her door with her name written on it. She dragged herself over to where it was and plopped her rear end down in front of it. Stifling a yawn, she opened the envelope with one swift swipe of her index finger. She squinted against the blur of the neat writing until it came into focus.

_Dear Mitsune,_

_It pains me to do this to you, but I will have left by the time you pick this letter up. I know you will probably think I am a coward, but this is something I need to do not only for my own safety, but for all of you as well. Believe me when I say if it were up to me, the only thing taking me from this place would be the cold fingers of death itself. But I am not only risking my own safety by remaining here._

_This letter is pretty hard for me to write. You have always been a mysterious one to me. So putting down on paper exactly what you have meant to me during my stay here is a little difficult._

_You have revealed a lot of truth about the world to me. This world is full of cynicism and insensitivity. But more than that, you have shown me that there are people in the world that really do care about bottom-feeders like myself. Sure, you might have used me to suck my bank account dry, but you are well meaning and you have a bigger heart than you can imagine. I know you would never hurt me like that._

_Your self-confidence has always been astounding to me. You command attention everywhere you go, not only with your beauty and charm, but also with your grace and wit. I wish I had one-tenth of the natural charisma you had. Perhaps then I would not have to worry so much about making a complete fool of myself around other people, especially other women._

_Speaking of which, you've also taught me a lot about the opposite sex. To be honest, you were the first woman I had ever touched intimately. Despite the fact it turned out you were only looking for free rent, that experience is something I will always remember. It is interesting that the feelings and experiences you most want to forget are the ones you recall the most._

_Not to say we did not have our fun times. All of the parties we had, the drinking games I lost to you, and our debates about the world I will always cherish. I wish you the best in the future, and I hope you find happiness one day._

_Keitaro_

_P.S. Do me a favor and stop hiding from yourself. You are beautiful as you are._

Kitsune laughed softly, blinking back the moisture building in her eyes. "Who is the charmer now, you bastard?" She folded up the letter and put it back in her pocket. The next thing she knew, she had a bottle of sake merely inches from her lips, the scent of the liquor wafting into her nostrils. She froze for a moment, looking at the clear liquid in the bottle. It was calling her name, taunting her, daring her to drink it.

Gritting her teeth, Kitsune lowered the bottle from her mouth. She stood up and opened her window to the outside. Inhaling a deep breath of fresh air, Kitsune took one last glance at the bottle in her hand before flinging it out of the window. She watched as the bottle flipped end over end, spilling its contents all around before it landed in the river below with a small splash.

A single tear rolled down Kitsune's cheek. "I don't need you anymore," she proclaimed.

* * *

Naru woke to the sound of several songbirds chattering outside her window, and the cold wet spot on her pillow from crying throughout the night made her sit up. She glanced around. She somehow made it back to her bed. The last thing she remembered was collapsing just inside her door. Her eyes were bone dry, and they stung as if needles were piercing them when she opened them.

She was physically and mentally exhausted, unwilling to face the world at this early hour. She fell backwards, her head hitting her pillow, with her disheveled hair covering most of her face. A strange scraping sound on the floor caught her attention. Clearing her hair away from her face, she glanced over at the source of the sound, and saw a letter-sized envelope with her name on it. She picked it up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She noticed immediately Keitaro's handwriting.

Naru's heartbeat picked up its pace. The mere thought of what he had said made her uncomfortable. She considered crumpling the paper up and tossing it away without reading it. But something inside of her wanted to give Keitaro the benefit of the doubt. More than wanting to forget him, she wanted to hear what he had to say. Gathering herself, Naru opened the letter and began to read.

_Dear Naru_

_If you are reading this that must mean you do not completely hate me for what I did last night. I would not have blamed you if you ripped this letter to shreds without reading it, or giving it a second thought. I did the most reprehensible thing I have ever done in my life last night. But to me it was a necessary evil._

_You never let me explain exactly why I am doing this. If I were to stay here, eventually I would mess up. Trip over my own foot, be shoved into someone, something that would I would be punished for. And as thing are now, I cannot afford to put myself into that kind of danger. But not only would I be in danger, you all would be in danger as well. I really do not care if something happens to me, but I care if something happened to any of you. I refuse both personally and professionally to allow that to happen._

_My life has been full of things left unsaid. I have danced around the truth more times and about more things than I care to recall. I have spouted lies to everyone, including myself. But that ends now. Albert Einstein once wrote that, "If you are out to describe the truth, leave the elegance to the tailor." Well, here is my truth, as plain as I can make it._

_You were mostly right about your first impression of me. I am a pathetic loser with no prospects. I enjoy purikura. I wear funny glasses and I am a weakling and a coward. One thing I am most definitely not, however, is a pervert. I have never tried to take advantage of anyone in my entire life. I have been on the receiving end of countless beatings for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have never acted like the victim, and I always took responsibility for everything. I cannot do that anymore._

_I had one love in my life before I came to Hinata Sou. She was the first and the last girl to ever notice me, to care about me. We made a promise together over fifteen years ago that we would someday meet again at Toudai as students. I have failed time and again to fulfill that promise. It seems now I will not have another opportunity to make that fairy tale a reality. Besides, I am through chasing pipe dreams. You were right. Toudai is impossible for me. I might as well admit it._

_My life before Hinata Sou was not very spectacular. My parents were sick and tired of me failing every single entrance exam for Toudai. They finally kicked me out of the house because they said they could no longer afford me. My only option was the far-off memory of an old inn my grandmother owned. That led me to Hinata Onsen._

_Then I met you. You took me in when you did not have to. I had a real home of my own at long last. I was happy for the first time since I could remember. I had beautiful women around me all day, food in my stomach, and a tutor to help me finally pass the Toudai exams._

_Then something happened that I never expected. I thought I had met my first love again, after fifteen long years. I was amazed by the notion that she was always right here, waiting for me to find her again. She was even more beautiful than I could have imagined. I swore to myself I would never forget her name or her face again. But as it turned out, she really was not the one I made the promise with._

_Even after my heart was broken by this revelation, I could not shake one immutable truth: I was crazy about her. It was almost maddening. She haunted my dreams. Even when I was awake, I heard her voice in my head. I wanted desperately to tell her how I felt, but I never felt adequate enough for her. I put her on a pedestal and worshipped her without being really honest with her._

_Now I am here. Likely, I only have three weeks left to live. Time is no longer a luxury I can afford to waste. I lied to you yesterday. And telling that lie hurt me as much as it hurt you. You opened your heart to me, put it in the palm of my hand, and I crushed it. By doing that, I crushed my own heart at the same time. Now I will mend your heart and return it to you, so you will not be afraid to share it with someone again. _

_Keitaro_

With tears streaking down her face, Naru noticed a second page of the letter. She frantically pulled it from the envelope and opened the page. She gasped at the contents.

On the page was a full-body drawing of Naru garbed in a beautiful full-length robe, sitting in a field of flowers. She had a pair of majestic wings protruding from her back. Lying in her lap was a young man who appeared asleep with a contented smile on his face. The Naru in the picture appeared to be stroking the man's face with her hands as she gazed upon the sleeping man with admiration. All of her features were perfect, down to the length of every hair on her head. The picture was called "My Angel", written in perfect English calligraphy at the top of the picture. It was dated that day, and it had a small notation in the corner: "I love you, Naru. K"

* * *

A/N: Wow! 24 reviews on the last chapter! Completely amazing! Thanks for your support everyone! Please continue to read my story. 2 chapters left!

(resubmitted because of typoes)


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A week had passed since Keitaro left rather ceremoniously from Hinata Sou. Things could not quite get back to normal since that day, which seemed like a millennia ago. Time seemed to drag on, as if Father Time suddenly had a ball and chain strapped to each leg, but it pressed on nonetheless.

The camaraderie once shared by the tenants quickly dissolved with the loss of their manager. Everyone tried to keep to themselves, unwilling or unable to open up to each other about their losses. Five boats were tied to one anchor, and that anchor was suddenly lifted, sending the vessels in opposite directions. The constant eddies of life sent them drifting further and further apart.

Haruka did her best to keep things together, but she quickly realized she was no replacement for someone like Keitaro. So she did what she could, helping the girls with anything they needed, but she never forced herself on them. The wounds were still closing, and they would come around themselves when they were ready.

The one that took to the news the worst was, naturally, Naru. She boarded herself up in her room, leaving only to use the bathroom and clean herself, which she was not making a daily ritual. Shinobu would stop by after cooking and leave plates at her door. About half of the time, when she returned to Naru's door, the plate was emptied of its contents, so at the very least she was eating.

More than one time, Motoko was shaken from her meditation by the sound of Naru crying from her room two doors down. As much as it pained her, Motoko sat firm. She was battling with her own demons, like the rest of the tenants. Her master always told her to deal with her own problems before helping another with their own. Besides, there was nothing she could say or do to console her friend.

Su more or less locked herself away in her room, working on the device she was working on when Keitaro left. It was her only escape from the world since no one was in the mood to play, understandably. She had her letter laminated and posted it on the wall right above her work desk as a reminder of one of her best friends.

For Shinobu, at least on the surface, it was business as usual. She understood that regardless of the situation, she had responsibilities to attend to: meals to cook, clothes to wash, homework to do. But when she had free time, she could not help but lament over what might have been if she were only a few years older. When she felt down, she would read her letter again to remind herself that someone cared about her, even if that person did not share the same feelings. The experience as a whole taught her that love is multifaceted.

For Kitsune, the sun was finally rising in her nightmarish week. She quit drinking, cold turkey style. She had Haruka dispose of all of her liquor, including her hidden caches all over the dorm. The going was not easy either. She lost nearly ten pounds, mostly from being unable to keep food down for the first few days. Then she lost her appetite for food. She nearly wrung Shinobu's neck one evening when she tried to coax her into eating. This particular morning she felt great, and stuffed her face full of whatever she could get her hands on. The others dared not interfere with her, especially after what she nearly did to Shinobu.

After lunch, Haruka hauled an assortment of cleaning materials to the third floor. She stopped outside Naru's room, noting the meal left at her door, which was by this time cold as a stone. With a frustrated sigh, she stooped to pick the plate up and emptied it into the trash.

"Could she have left?" Haruka wondered. With a gentle tap on the door to Naru's room, Haruka apprehensively announced her presence before sliding open the door two feet. A virulent odor assaulted her nostrils and she let out a nauseated groan. The room reeked of rotted food and fetid body odor. Squinting through watery eyes, Haruka grimaced at the sight of the room, which by all intents and purposes looked as if it should be condemned. Clothes, most likely dirty, littered every available flat surface in the room. The single trash bin in the room was filled to near overflowing with uneaten food that was now rancid. A small mountain of used tissues lay next to the futon in the middle of the room. Haruka could see Naru's figure balled up on the futon, a light snore reaching Haruka's ears as Naru's torso moved up and down in the rhythmic breathing usually associated with sleep.

Mouthing a silent prayer for protection, Haruka stepped into the pigsty, plugging her nose. She quickly kicked the clothing lying around the area into a single pile outside the room. With cat-like grace, she padded silently around the room, cleaning up what she could, including the festering food in the trashcan, the pile of tissues, and the books lying next to the futon.

Before she stepped out of the room for the last time, Haruka noticed two pieces of paper crumpled up into balls that looked like they were tossed in the corner. Haruka tiptoed over to them and hunched over to pick them up. She carefully crossed the room again closed the door behind her softly when she passed it.

Haruka was about to toss the two papers in her garbage bag when something about one of them caught her eye. She unraveled the paper to reveal the drawing of Naru cradling a man lying with his head in her lap with her hands. Haruka recognized the work of her nephew without even looking for a signature. She lost herself in the beauty of the art, and she marveled at the accuracy of Naru's features.

Minutes later, the obvious question came to Haruka's mind: Why would she trash something like this? Folding the picture, Haruka put it in her pocket and opened the other ball containing the letter. She perused it quickly, looking for something that may have triggered something. Then she saw it. "Poor girl. I think I understand now."

"Hey, Kitsune?"

Kitsune, who was wiping down the counters in the kitchen with a rag, turned around to face Haruka. "What's up, Haruka-san?"

Haruka held out two pieces of wrinkled up paper. "Take a look at these."

Kitsune tossed her rag in the sink and wiped her wet hands on her pants before taking the papers from Haruka. "What are these?" she asked, turning one of the papers over so she could see what was on it. Her eyes widened immediately. "This is?" Haruka nodded in response.

While Kitsune read the letter out loud, Haruka poured two glasses of ice water. They retired to the common room, Kitsune intently reading the letter, moving and sitting on the sofa almost unconsciously. When she finished reading the letter, Kitsune said, "This is amazing!"

"That's not all, either. Look at the other one."

Kitsune fished out the other sheet and smoothed it out a bit on her leg before taking a good look at it. She couldn't help but gasp at the magnificent work. While Kitsune continued to marvel at the drawing, Haruka noted, "I found those in the corner of Naru's room, crumpled up into little balls."

"What?" Kitsune asked incredulously.

Haruka nodded sagely.

"Did she even look at these?" Kitsune wondered aloud.

"I have reason to think so."

Puzzled, Kitsune asked, "How so?"

Haruka leaned back and crossed her legs. "You have known Naru for a long time, right?"

"Yeah, sure I have. Why?"

"Do you remember when she was really introverted and almost never talked to people?"

"Uh huh. She was like that for the longest time. I spent years trying to get her to come out of her shell."

Haruka nodded. "Well, she was not always like that. When she was a child, she was outgoing and made friends with everyone she met." After pausing retrospectively, Haruka continued. "But then…"

"Her parents divorced," Kitsune said flatly.

"That's right. Naru was a daddy's girl ever since she was born, but then the divorce happened, and he walked out on his family."

Kitsune let out a slow, deliberate sigh. Things were starting to make sense.

"That's not all either," Haruka noted. Kitsune peered at Haruka quizzically. "He left a letter, one not dissimilar to that one.

"Wow," Kitsune said, her eyebrows standing on end. She was shocked. She never knew how close Naru was with her father.

"The poor girl was completely crushed. She didn't even speak for nearly a month. Even after she came around verbally, she was never the same."

Kitsune shook her head and turned her gaze to the floor in front of her. "Then Seta happened."

Haruka simply nodded. They both knew what happened. Naru developed an enormous crush on him, and he vanished without a trace, just like her father did.

For Kitsune, that certainly did explain a lot of things about her best friend. Like why she developed such an aversion to dating, a distrust of men in general, and a violent attitude towards Keitaro. Naru built a wall around herself to insulate herself should something like that ever happen again. And the one time she did open her heart, it was quickly shattered.

"How long has she been in her room?" Kitsune asked.

"Judging from the smell in there, I don't think she's left that room since Keitaro left."

"I wonder if I should try talking to her."

"If anyone could, it would be you, Kitsune."

With a curt nod, Kitsune stood and approached the stairwell.

"By the way, Kitsune," Haruka interrupted. Kitsune paused and turned her head in Haruka's direction, seeing her wearing a smile on her face. "You look really good."

Kitsune chuckled somewhat bashfully and responded, "Yeah, I guess sobriety agrees with me."

"Good for you, Kitsune. Now go get that girl out of that mess in there."

"You can count on me, Haruka-san."

Kitsune nearly retched when she swung open the door to Naru's room. The stench was significantly better than when Haruka first entered, but the place still smelled like an American dump. "Oh me, oh my," she muttered after seeing Naru's filthy face smeared with mucus and tears. Taking a hard swallow, Kitsune padded into the room and squatted down next to her friend. Naru was still sawing logs.

Kitsune rubbed Naru's arm gently and cooed her name. Naru stirred after a few tries, but when she saw Kitsune looming over her, she quickly flipped over, turning her back to Kitsune. "Leave me alone," Naru said, her voice devoid of emotion.

Kitsune sat down cross-legged right next to the futon. "No," she replied matter-of-factly.

Naru cringed visibly, something not lost on Kitsune.

"Please, Kitsune, just go away."

"I'm not leaving until we talk about these," Kitsune riposted without missing a beat. She tossed the letter and drawing over Naru's head so they landed right in front of her face in plain sight.

Naru bolted upright with an audible gasp as if she were attached to a string. Her eyes darted across the room towards the corner where she threw the papers. Noticing they were no longer there, Naru snatched the papers from the floor and quickly tucked them under her comforter. "You conniving little…"

Kitsune cut her off by raising her hand. "Don't blame me. Haruka-san found them when she came in here to clean up this mess. Have you taken a good look around here lately? Seen a mirror anytime this week at all?"

"What business does she have coming in here like that?" Naru harrumphed.

Kitsune threw the bait in the water. "Maybe you should go downstairs and ask her yourself."

Naru did not bite. "I'm not going anywhere." She retracted into an upright fetal position.

Kitsune folded her arms over her chest. "You can't stay in here forever, you know.

"I'll do what I want to do," Naru snapped back. "It's none of your business anyway."

Kitsune tried to keep her patience in check, which had been a chore lately. "My best friend is rotting away in her room, and you don't think that is any of my business?"

Naru responded with a heavy sigh. "You just don't understand. You never will."

That did it for Kitsune. A tightly stretched string in her brain finally snapped, and she jumped to her feet. "You think so?" Kitsune asked, her voice dripping with venom. She stalked over to Naru menacingly and grabbed two handfuls of Naru's top.

"Wh-what are you doing Kitsune?"

"We're going for a little stroll," Kitsune snarled and started to drag Naru forcefully towards the exit.

"Let me go, Kitsune! What's gotten into you?" Naru flailed around, but she could not break Kitsune's hold on her. She had her like a vice.

Kitsune continued out of Naru's room and down the hall towards the stairs. "I'm really sick of this mood you have. If you won't do something about it, I will."

Naru saw they were approaching Motoko's room. "Motoko-chan!" she belted. "Help!"

Almost instantly, Motoko threw her door open and leapt into the hallway, her weapon at the ready. She paused when she saw Kitsune dragging Naru, clad only in a t-shirt and panties, behind her.

Kitsune stared down Motoko fiercely. "Out of the way, Aoyama!"

Motoko had never seen Kitsune display so much emotion. Looking into her aura she saw the fiery red of determination, but there was not even a tint of malice in it. "Hai," Motoko said, stepping aside.

"What are you doing, Motoko? Kitsune's gone crazy. Save me, please!" Naru pleaded with the swordswoman as she continued to be pulled towards the stairs.

"This is for your own good, Naru-sempai," Motoko said quietly as she sheathed her sword. "I just hope Kitsune isn't too rough with her."

Kitsune pulled Naru down the stairs relentlessly, despite Naru's constant struggling and yelling. "You're hurting me, Kitsune!"

"I guess you understand how it feels, then," Kitsune returned, pulling Naru down another two steps.

"What are you talking about?" Naru tried to grab hold of the side of the wall leading to the second floor hallway, but she was easily yanked away from it.

"Oh, poor me, feel sorry for me," Kitsune whined sarcastically, quickening her pace down the stairwell. "I'm really sick and tired of putting up with your emo bullshit."

Kitsune tossed Naru down the last several steps, and she slid down them rear-end first, finally crashing to the floor in the common room. Before Naru could attempt to escape, Kitsune grabbed hold of the nape of her neck and pulled her through the room. Haruka was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, stunned at the sight before her. Her mouth stood agape, and her cigarette hung precariously from her bottom lip.

"Oh, hi, Haruka-san. We're just going for a little walk," Kitsune said cheerfully, grunting as she yanked Naru towards the rear of the room.

"Save me, Haruka-san," Naru begged, but to no avail as her shirt, already tugged halfway off of her, gave way, revealing her right breast.

Blinking out of her reverie, Haruka noted, "You don't see that every day."

Kitsune cackled maniacally as she pulled open the door to the hot spring. "How about a little dip, Naru?"

Seeing her unwanted destination, Naru began to fight more fiercely than before. "Let me go, damn you! What kind of friend are you, anyway?"

"I'm the best friend you've got, and don't you forget it," Kitsune growled, straining to pull Naru the last few feet towards the edge of the pool. "Now get in there!" Kitsune gave Naru one last shove and she toppled into the pool with a tremendous splash.

Naru surfaced, coughing and spluttering. Finally regaining her bearings, she saw Kitsune looming over her. Despite the fact she was breathing heavily out of her mouth, she still looked ready to continue her violent tirade. Naru backed up, stretching her arms out in front of her, afraid that Kitsune was about to leap into the pool after her.

"You still think you're the only one around here that has problems?" Kitsune yelled.

Naru glanced around in confusion. "I never said anything like that."

Kitsune leaned towards Naru with her hands on her hips. "You sure as hell act like it."

Naru, finally loosed from Kitsune's grip, felt her courage return. "How I act is none of your business!"

Kitsune blew her top. "Ooh, that's it! Now I'm really gonna whip your little ass!"

Before Naru could turn and flee, Kitsune jumped in the pool and grabbed her by her shirt yet again. Kitsune proceeded to dunk Naru's head under the water over and over again, yelling all sorts of foul curses and obscenities in her ear. Finally she pulled her head out of the water. "Are you finished? Are you going to let me talk now?" Kitsune snarled. Naru spat water out of her mouth and nodded weakly.

Kitsune forcefully turned Naru around so they stood face to face. She didn't let go of her shirt, either. "Do you love him?"

"What are you saying all of a sudden?"

Kitsune shook Naru around like a rag doll. "Answer the damn question, Naru! Do you love Keitaro or not?"

Naru was finally forced over the edge. She slapped Kitsune's arms off of her with one quick motion. "Of course I love him! What the hell do you think I've been doing all this time, having a party by myself in my room? He's been my whole life since he came here and now…I just…it's like he…"

"Abandoned you," Kitsune finished Naru's thought.

Naru took a sharp breath. "Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. How did you?"

All of the rage melted out of Kitsune's face, leaving only a concerned expression. "I've been trying to tell you that I understand how you feel. He didn't just leave you, Naru. He left all of us, you know. We all feel abandoned right now."

Naru bowed her head in shame. She realized she was acting very selfish by wallowing in her own grief. She had a friend right in front of her that was willing and able to catch her when she fell, but her pride kept her from accepting help. She had come this far on her own. Doing it any other way would have been blasphemy as far as she was concerned.

"Hey, Naru?"

"Yeah?" Naru looked up at Kitsune, and could see her eyes were getting misty.

"I never told you this before, but did you know my father abandoned me and my mother when I was little?"

Naru gasped in shock, covering her mouth with her hand. It was, indeed, something Naru never heard before.

Kitsune wandered towards the edge of the pool as she told her story. "From what I remember and what my mother told me about him, he was a really great guy until I was born. Then he started drinking. By the time I was four he was a raging alcoholic. Then one day he just didn't come home from work. He left nothing to us. Not even a letter saying that he was leaving. He never once said he loved me. He…" the buildup of emotion became too much for Kitsune to bear. He clamped her mouth shut and pursed her lips as she blinked tears out of her eyes. "So you aren't alone in this, Naru. I know you think everyone who you love has abandoned you, and you aren't the only one who feels that way. Shinobu's parents are so wrapped up in their selfish divorce that they've forgotten about their precious daughter. Su's parents are ignoring her in the most important time in her life. All Motoko's parents care about is making sure she runs their silly dojo, whether she wants to or not. And now you know about me."

"I'm so sorry, Kitsune," Naru said softly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Kitsune turned her head, glancing in Naru's direction. "You know, I haven't had a drink in a week."

"Really?"

Kitsune nodded. "Something he wrote in his letter…changed me."

"Kitsune…"

Kitsune motioned towards the door. "Go, Naru."

"What?"

A firm shove from Kitsune send Naru stumbling. "If you let him leave like this, I'll never forgive you. Now get out of here, and don't come back without him."

Naru regained her balance. "What do I say to him?"

Kitsune flashed a wry grin. "Whatever it is that is on your heart."

"My…heart?" Naru asked.

"I don't mean from here," Kitsune responded, pointing at her head. She then made a fist, and pulled it into her chest. "From here. Just let it go."

"_Just let it go." _

"_You were always possessive, that much I can remember."_

"_You tend to be rather aggressive when someone tries to take something that belongs to you."_

"_Are you saying Keitaro took something from me?"_

"_You'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure."_

_Now I will mend your heart and return it to you, so you will not be afraid to share it with someone again._

"_From your heart. Just let it go."_

The recognition struck Naru as hard and as fast as a meteor from the heavens. "I understand everything now. What you meant that day, in the teashop. I get it now. I'll bring him back, I promise."

Naru picked herself up and out of the pool and ran into the dorm, not caring about the wet trail she dragged behind her. Kitsune sat at the edge of the pool, letting out a relieved sigh as she gazed upon the bright blue sky. A pair of birds flew into her vision. She followed them with her eyes. One was chasing the other. Kitsune chuckled as the birds disappeared over the tree line in the distance. "Go get him."

Motoko nearly jumped out of her socks when a sopping wet Naru ran past her in the hallway. "N-Naru sempai! You're all wet."

"I know," Naru responded, half out of breath. "Can you get everyone together downstairs for me, please? I need to tell you all something."

"Sure," Motoko said, flustered at the sight of Naru, who was so depressed not 20 minutes ago, dashing down the hall with so much energy.

20 minutes after that, a refreshed-looking Naru stood in front of her dorm mates. "I realize that I haven't been the greatest friend to you guys lately. I've been wrapped up in my own pity so much that I didn't even realize you all have been suffering with me. I've been cruel to many people in my life, including some of you. I've acted selfish, jealous, possessive, and indecisive. But that stops right here, right now."

"Ha! Naru is growing up!" Su exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess so," Naru agreed. "But, as you all know, there's still something missing."

"Yes, Ura-I mean Keitaro," Motoko said.

Naru nodded. "I'm going to find him."

Shinobu stood up. "Let us help you!"

Naru shook her head at the blue-haired teenager. "It's okay, Shinobu-chan. This is something I want, or rather, I need to do myself. But I promise you, I will find him and bring him back here even if I have to knock him out and drag him back. He deserves to know how much he is loved before he…"

A gloomy cloud loomed over the room for the next several moments, leaving everyone in silence.

Haruka broke the quiet. "We'll be sure to have the place in order by the time you get back, Naru-chan."

"Thank you very much," Naru replied, bowing deeply at the waist. "I'll be going then."

Kitsune watched Naru as she slipped the shoes on her feet, waved goodbye, and dashed out of the dorm. _"I'm proud of you, Naru."_

"Will she be alright by herself, Kitsune-san?" Shinobu asked.

"Hai, for the first time in her life."

10 minutes after Naru left Hinata Sou, the phone rang in the great room. Shinobu ran to it as fast as she could, praying that the person on the other side was…

She excitedly picked up the handset. "SEMPAI?"

…To Be Concluded

* * *

A/N: BLAH! This chapter took far too long to get finished! Working full-time + school full-time less time for writing. Also, I had to go through several drafts to find the tone and the emotion I wanted to get out of this moving on to the conclusion. I still don't feel 100 confident about the content in this chapter, but for now I can't think of a better way to move the story. Chapter 10 may take a while to get out to you all, but I promise I'm constantly working on it, or at least thinking about it. Thanks for reading!  



	11. Final Chapter

Disclaimer: See Prologue

No Pain, No Gain

Final Chapter

"Sempai?" Shinobu cried into the telephone receiver, praying it was Keitaro.

Unfortunately, the voice on the other end quickly dashed those hopes. _"Um, may I speak with Keitaro Urashima, please?"_

Shinobu let out a defeated sigh. She didn't even bother to put up a cheerful façade for the person on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry, he is not here right now. Would you like to leave a message?"

"_Oh, crap! Oh well. This is Doctor Ishii calling him regarding a development in his case. Do you know when he will be back?"_

Shinobu's eyes lit up like fog lamps. Shinobu started to pepper the doctor with a flurry of questions. "Doctor? Do you know anything? Did something happen? Is sempai okay?"

The doctor chuckled politely. _"I'm sorry, my dear. Doctor-patient privileges prevent me from sharing this information with a third party. I'm afraid I'll need to speak with Keitaro about this directly."_

Shinobu let out a mental curse. "I see. Well, he should be back sometime tonight." Shinobu added "hopefully" in her mind. "Would you care to leave a callback number?"

"_Uh, no, I don't think that will be necessary. I'll try calling back later then. Thank you very much. Goodbye."_

"Uh, actually, doctor," Shinobu tried to get Ishii's attention, but he had already hung up. She wondered what the doctor possibly could have been calling about. Whatever it was, she concluded, it could not have been good. "I beg of you Narusegawa-sempai, please find him."

* * *

Doctor Ishii hung up his phone with an annoyed grunt.

"Was he not at home, doctor?" asked the portly nurse.

Ishii shook his head, and leaned against the nearby desk. "I sure hope we can find him sometime today." He picked up a folder marked with Keitaro's name and perused its contents. "This is something he really needs to know. And after today, it may be too late."

* * *

"It must be down this street," Naru said to herself, checking the street name against the directions scribbled onto a now well-worn scrap of notepaper. It was a very middle-class neighborhood. The homes were nice but not too large, with modest lawns and equally modest vehicles parked in front of each house. Naru shot a smile at a pair of adolescents as they ran by her.

Naru counted the houses that she passed on her right. When she came to the sixth, she stopped. The Urashima surname was emblazoned on the slightly rusty iron plaque mounted to the chest-high brick and mortar wall, which was painted bone white. Naru turned her gaze towards the short driveway leading up to the quaint albeit small house. A late-model Honda coupe was parked in the driveway. Naru let out a sigh of both relief and nervousness that someone was most likely home.

Naru gathered her courage and stepped cautiously onto the Urashima property, almost expecting some rabid dog to come charging at her from her flank. Nothing attacked her, however; she made it to the front door with nary a scratch. She raised her hand and rapped on the door three times. "Coming," she heard from somewhere beyond the portal. The voice was female, probably his mother.

Naru felt herself tense up as she waited for the door to slide open. Keitaro shared all sorts of horror stories about how his parents treated him like scum and kicked him out of the house when he failed a Toudai prep exam. Naru had an image built up in her mind of Keitaro's parents being a crazy old hag with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and an overbearing older version of Keitaro pointing an accusatory finger at everyone while lecturing him or her.

Naru was stunned when a rather attractive lady appearing in her late forties wearing a flowery sundress slid open the door. "Yes?" the lady asked.

Naru stared at the lady in silence for a split second before shaking herself out of her gaze. "Y-yes, I'm looking for Keitaro." Naru's statement came out more like a question as she emphasized the word Keitaro.

The woman opened her mouth to respond, but she suddenly paused, giving Naru a once over. Naru noticed this and looked down at herself, thinking she may have something on her. Not seeing anything, she looked back at the woman at the door, who was still casting a discerning eye at her. "_Ano_," Naru muttered.

The lady unexpectedly whipped her head back into the house. "Honey," the lady cried out, her voice laced with amusement. "There's a _bishoujo _at the door looking for Keitaro!"

Naru blushed a rosy pink as another voice, this one male, cried out, "_Honto desu ka?_"

"_Hai, hai! Mite, mite!_" the lady cried out again. There was a loud crash inside the house followed by the rumbling and stumbling of footsteps approaching the door. Naru stood still as a stone, her face as red as a ripe beet.

The woman opened the door fully allowing a middle-aged, slightly portly man with a balding pate to cast an appraising stare at Naru. "Yes, she's very pretty," he said, nodding his head in approval.

"Isn't she, though?"

"Yes, very much."

Naru tried to interrupt. "Excuse me."

The couple carried on with their own conversation. "I feel like I've seen this girl somewhere before," the lady said to the man.

"Really? I don't get that feeling," the man replied.

"This is the first time a girl has come here looking for him, though," the woman squealed excitedly.

"I know! And he landed such a cute one, too. I was beginning to wonder about him."

"We should be proud of him!"

"Excuse me!" Naru screamed, getting the pair's attention at last. The man jumped backwards half a step and the woman cringed at Naru. Naru leveled her voice. "Is Keitaro here or not?"

The lady chuckled softly. "Sorry, but he isn't here right now. Is there something you need with our son?" The man snickered at his wife's probing question, earning himself a sharp elbow in the ribs.

Naru wasn't about ready to give up yet. "It's really important that I find him. Do you know where he is right now?"

Keitaro's mother's curiosity got the best of her. "I swear I've seen you before young lady. What is your name?"

"My name is Naru Narusegawa. It's a pleasure to meet you." Naru bowed deeply at the waist. She held the bow, waiting for a reply, but did not receive one. She looked up at the couple, which was now staring at her in shock. "Um, did I say something strange?"

The couple turned their awestruck faces to each other, then back to Naru. After another several awkward seconds, the lady finally blurted out, "Naru-chan?"

"Naru-chan! Wow, it's been ages," Keitaro's father gleefully exclaimed.

"Have we met before?" Naru asked. She honestly could not recall meeting such an eccentric pair in her life. She was completely flabbergasted.

"Come in, Naru-chan. Come in!" Keitaro's mother pulled Naru into the house by the wrist. Naru tried to protest, but Keitaro's parents ignored her, instead motioning her to sit at the dining room table while they prepared tea.

Naru scanned the room with her eyes. The house and its trappings were modest, but it felt warm and comfortable at the same time. She found the smell reminiscent of her own home. She wondered how long it had been since she was last in her own family's home.

"How long has it been now, honey?" Keitaro's mother asked.

"I would say close to fifteen years now."

"My, my. You look so much like you did back then." Keitaro's mother poured a cup of tea and slid it over to Naru.

"That's true," Keitaro's father added, sitting across from Naru. "Well, except for…" he gestured with his arms, holding them out in front of his chest. He was promptly slapped across the kisser with a paper fan.

Naru chuckled inwardly at her hosts' antics. It was easy to see where Keitaro obtained his perverted mind. His mother reminded her somewhat of…herself.

"So, Naru-chan, how is your family?" Keitaro's mother asked, gazing at Naru as if she were a long-lost friend.

Naru nervously replied, "I'm sorry, but I really don't remember ever meeting you two. I understand we may have met at one time or another a long time ago when I was staying at Hinata Sou, but I don't understand how you two know me so well."

"Ah, gomen, gomen. My name is Kyoko, and this is my husband, Kotaro." The couple bowed their heads.

Naru returned their bows. "Yoroshiku." Privately, Naru wondered if everyone in the family had a name starting with the letter K. "So we really have met sometime before?"

Keitaro's parents glanced at each other, grinning at one another. "She doesn't remember much of anything, does she?" Kotaro asked amusedly.

"Apparently not," Kyoko returned.

"I'm sorry, remember what?" Naru really had no idea.

"Anata, go see if you can find the album," Kyoko requested of her husband.

"Hai, hai," Kotaro agreed, moving to his feet with a grunt.

Naru watched as Kotaro shuffled down the hall. She did not notice it until then, but the more she looked at Keitaro's parents, the more familiar they looked to her.

Kyoko took a sip of her tea before returning to the conversation at hand. "It's really not surprising that you don't remember much. You were so little then."

"Are you talking about Hinata Sou?"

Kyoko nodded. Her eyes glazed over, as if she were looking somewhere in the distance. "You three were so adorable together."

Naru blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Kotaro abruptly reappeared from the hallway, carrying a large binder and wearing a satisfied smile. "It's a little dusty, but I found it."

Kyoko's face beamed with delight. "Kita! Now let's see if we can find it in here."

Kotaro dropped the album on the table, creating a plume of dust. "We haven't kept this thing as well as we probably should have, Kyoko-chan."

"You're probably right," Kyoko replied, waving her hand in front of her to keep the dust away from her mouth.

Kotaro blew on the cover of the album, sending a cloud of dust right into Naru's face. "Ah, sorry about that," he apologized as Naru was sent into a coughing fit.

Kyoko flipped the album open, flipping through the first several pages. Naru tried to steal a glance, but the pages were turned too quickly for her to get a decent look. After a while, Kyoko noticed Naru peering over the table. "Oh, I'm sorry. Why don't you come around and take a look with us?"

Naru smiled and nodded, jumping to her feet and skipping across the room to the other side of the table. She was almost breathless in anticipation, although she did not know what to expect. Kyoko started at the beginning, showing Naru Keitaro's baby pictures and explaining the story behind each of them. Every now and then, Kotaro would jump in and add his 2 cents to the stories. Keitaro's birth picture, his first bath, first time crawling, after his first word, "Mama", his first time walking.

When Kyoko turned to the next page, Naru saw something she recognized. "That sandbox!" she exclaimed, pointing at a picture showing a young toddler Keitaro smiling and waving in front of a sandbox.

"Yes, that's right. You remember that place, Naru-chan?"

"I used to play there all the time when I was little. I was staying at Hinata Sou at the time. This playground is right around that area."

Kyoko nodded her head. "Is there anything else in the picture you recognize?"

Naru noticed several other children playing in the sandbox, but since they were not in focus, she could not see them very well. "I see some other kids playing there, but I don't recognize any of them."

"Show her that one, Kyoko-chan," Kotaro said, nudging his wife in the side playfully.

Naru noticed how Kotaro emphasized "that one". "That one? You mean another picture?"

Kyoko turned the album to the next page. On this page were a variety of pictures of Keitaro playing with other children in the same sandbox. In the bottom left corner of the left-hand page were several pictures of Keitaro playing with two girls. Kyoko pointed these pictures out to Naru. "Back then, Keitaro had two really good friends. Strangely enough, they were both girls."

"Ah, those were the days. My boy was such a womanizer back then," Kotaro noted, his eyes misty with pride.

Kyoko lashed out with her paper fan again, smacking Kotaro across the face yet again. "Stop interrupting me at such an important time!" Kyoko turned her attention back on the album. "As I was saying, these three were inseparable. All three of them would cry when it was time to go home. It was painful to take Keitaro away from his friends like that."

Naru began to feel something hauntingly familiar about this whole scenario. In all of the pictures, both of the girls' backs were to the camera, but the traditional kimono one of them wore stood out in her memory, but she couldn't quite place it. Kyoko's revelations only fueled that fire.

"A few months later, both of the girls moved away." Kyoko tapped her finger on a particular photo with the girl Naru did not recognize. "This one here moved to Okinawa."

Okinawa…that place, it triggered something in Naru's memory. "Okinawa?" She suddenly recalled the eccentric airhead she and Keitaro came across during their separate-but-together trip to Kyoto after they both failed the Toudai entrance examination. Reflecting upon the trip, Naru could have sworn that woman somehow recognized Keitaro. The girl in the photo had strikingly similar attributes and features, but there was no way she could be…"What is that girl's name?"

Kotaro pondered for a few moments, rubbing his chin with his hand. He turned to Kyoko. "She was the Otohimes' daughter. I don't recall her first name offhand, though."

Kyoko's eyes lit up with insight. "Ah, that's right. Mutsumi, wasn't it? She was so adorable!"

"No way," Naru murmured in disbelief. There was no way the world was that small. "That little girl is Mutsumi Otohime?"

"So you remember her, Naru-chan?" Kotaro asked.

Naru started to shake her head but then nodded. "Yes, we've actually met not too long ago, believe it or not." This revelation explained a lot of things: Mutsumi and Keitaro's mutual attraction, the way she looked at him, the way he acted around her. It was like they had known each other their whole lives.

"Really? You met her? How was she? Did you remember each other?" came the bombardment of questions from Kyoko.

Naru smiled wryly. "She was quite beautiful, actually. Time has treated her well. But I didn't remember who she was, and I can't honestly say she recalled me either."

Kotaro sighed happily. "I always thought she would be model material someday."

Kyoko nodded, sharing her husband's sentiment. "They were all so cute together. I really miss those times."

Naru was afraid to ask the question nagging and prodding her in the back of her mind, but she spat it out regardless. "So she was Keitaro's first love after all, wasn't she?"

Kyoko and Kotaro froze momentarily before chuckling at one another. "Are you kidding?" Kotaro asked rhetorically.

"She would never do anything to get between you two," Kyoko said with a grin.

Naru glanced at the couple, blinking several times before pointing at herself. "Me?"

In unison, Kyoko and Kotaro both nodded. Kyoko turned the page one last time. "The other girl, the one Keitaro adored so much, was you, Naru-chan."

There was only one picture on the next page. It was placed in the center of the page, surrounded by hearts of all colors and sizes. In the picture was a girl, who could not have been any older than three, kissing Keitaro on the cheek. It was unmistakable. That little girl was Naru.

Naru stared at the picture, trying desperately to evoke that memory. But the longer she gazed, the less she was able to recall. "I don't remember this at all. How could I have forgotten something like this?"

Kyoko took a sip of her tea. "Well, you were really little at the time."

"And soon after that, your parents divorce was finalized, and you moved away with your mother," Kotaro added. "It's not surprising in the least that you would forget this."

Naru felt her eyes start to burn from the emotional impact of the image. "Does this mean the promise really was with me?"

"What promise?" Kyoko asked. Kotaro was similarly perplexed, raising an eyebrow in Naru's direction.

"Keitaro was always talking about a promise he made with a girl fifteen years ago about meeting at Toudai as students," Naru explained.

Kotaro turned to his wife. "Did you know about this?"

Kyoko shook her head. "No wonder he was so hell-bent on making it into Toudai."

"If I'd known about that, I wouldn't have given him such a hard time about it, telling him it was impossible for him to pass that exam," Kotaro admitted, looking like he was completely ashamed of himself.

"Could it be that your mother actually knew about everything and gave Hinata Sou to Keitaro knowing that Naru-chan was living there?" Kyoko asked Kotaro.

Kotaro pondered the situation over. "It's definitely not outside the realm of possibility. That old coot seems to know everything, and I don't think she could see something like that be left up to fate. I'm sure she had a hand in it."

Naru continued to stare at the picture of her kissing Keitaro on the cheek as the couple continued to ramble on about Grandma Hina. She closed her eyes, letting the image sink into her memory. Slowly, like a fog clearing from her mind, Naru began to hear a distant voice in her head. The voice was high-pitched, like a child's voice. It was repeating something over and over, each time increasing in volume. After the fifth or maybe sixth time, Naru could finally make out what the child's voice was saying.

"_Hey, did you hear that when two people go to Toudai they find happiness? Let's go to Toudai together! It's a promise!"_ Eventually the voice became a deafening din, and just before Naru could no longer stand it, it abruptly stopped. A new statement reverberated in her head, but it only spoke once, loud and clear: _"I'll meet you at Toudai, Na-chan."_

Naru gasped, jumping to her feet and startling her hosts. "Where is Keitaro?" she demanded sternly.

Kyoko and Kotaro paused for a moment, taken aback by Naru's sudden outburst. "He's actually gone to the beach nearby here." Kyoko explained fearfully. "He said he had some things to think about," Kotaro added nervously, cowering behind his wife.

Naru snatched the picture of her kissing Keitaro out of the album. "I'm going to borrow this. Thanks for the tea!" Naru bolted out of the house, leaving the couple behind looking completely flabbergasted.

"I think she remembered," Kyoko said plainly. Kotaro nodded in agreement.

Not even a minute later, the telephone rang.

* * *

Keitaro glanced up from his sketchbook yet again, squinting into the distance, trying to focus on one particular detail to transcribe into his drawing. Confident that he had it in his mind correctly, he shifted his eyes back onto his drawing, expertly scribing the minutest details of the ocean's crashing waves onto the paper.

Keitaro pulled the sketchbook away from his face, looking at the whole picture and how it compared to the actual scene before him. As always, it was a nearly flawless representation. Keitaro closed his sketchbook and placed it gingerly onto the warm but quickly cooling sand to his right. Having diverted his attention away from the drawing, Keitaro became aware of the tingling in his feet from the lack of blood flow to his legs. He stood up from his beach chair, stretching his arms into the air languorously, relishing the feeling of his tense muscles relaxing in his back and abdomen.

After stifling a yawn, Keitaro gazed out into the sea, watching as the sun slowly approached the ebbing water. He smiled inwardly, reminiscing for probably the fiftieth time that day. _"I'm going to miss this, too,"_ he thought. He had long since accepted his own mortality, but it still did not make the thought of leaving any easier on him. More and more, he would catch himself staring at something even as simple as a blooming flower with tears in his eyes.

Tearing himself away from the sunset unfolding before him, Keitaro sat back in his chair, picking up his sketchbook. After brushing off the sand on the back cover, Keitaro thumbed through it, skipping over the more random sketches. He was looking for something specific.

After a few more pages, Keitaro found what he was looking for: a quick sketch of Naru staring out from her balcony. Keitaro sketched his from the roof on the far side of the building. He noticed her while he was drawing the cityscape. She was leaning over, her legs at almost a ninety-degree angle from her body. She was resting both elbows on the guardrail, her hands supporting her head.

Keitaro always wondered what Naru was thinking about then. He imagined she was trying to do long division in her head or decipher a complicated English sentence by heart. Either way, he had never seen that expression on her face before, and right away he knew he needed to get it down on paper. He always wanted to show her that sketch, to ask her what she was thinking, but he feared how she would react to him capturing her when she was vulnerable like that, let alone asking her such a question.

Keitaro looked up and watched as the horizon began to envelop the sun. He wished he had someone to share this moment with, someone that would be with him during moments like this. He would take anyone right now, but he especially wanted Naru to be by his side.

"It certainly is beautiful, isn't it?" Keitaro heard a voice say. Her voice. The one that haunted him since he first met her. Keitaro shook his head. There was no way she could be there.

"Are you ignoring me again, Keitaro?"

Keitaro's heart leapt. He really wasn't hearing things. He scrambled to his feet and turned around. There, veiled against the orange hue of the setting sun, stood Naru. Keitaro blinked in disbelief. How could she be there? "Narusegawa?" he asked the angel-like figure standing before him.

Naru nodded at Keitaro with a smile. "Looks like I finally found you."

"Y-yeah," Keitaro stuttered, "but how?"

Naru cocked her head at Keitaro. "Don't you remember? You wrote to Su that you were going home, so I just went to your house. I met your parents and everything. They are a bit eccentric, but they seem like a really nice couple."

The moment Naru mentioned his parents, Keitaro felt himself wanting to sink into the sand, but her compliments lifted him back up. "But why? Why did you come here?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Naru asked in reply. When Keitaro offered no answer, Naru continued. "I came here to find you. You said a lot of things in your letter that made me realize some things, and I need you to hear what I have to say, not only for your sake, but also for my own."

Keitaro only nodded. He was scared half to death, but also excited to hear what Naru had to say. He offered to let her sit in his chair, but she refused. She did not want to sit. She wanted to stand in front of him and tell him everything that she felt.

Naru stepped closer to Keitaro, staring out at the setting sun, which was now halfway past the horizon. "Your letter, it really hurt at first." Naru glanced over at Keitaro to see his response, and saw his expression become dark. "I thought you were abandoning us, or more specifically, abandoning me."

Naru laughed openly at her own ignorance. "I was such a fool. I sat in my room for a whole week feeling sorry for myself, until Kitsune helped me realize the truth: you were protecting me. You were always protecting me, as well as everyone else at Hinata Sou."

Naru turned her attention onto Keitaro, desperately trying to keep from breaking down until she finished. "You were afraid that something would happen again that would make one of us hurt you, and without you being immortal anymore, you were afraid you would be hurt so badly that…"

Keitaro hanged his head, nodding at the ground. It was the truth.

"Do you remember anything about the girl you made your promise to fifteen years ago?" Naru asked, changing the subject abruptly.

Keitaro pondered over the question for a moment. "I can't remember her name or her face, but I remember her being cute, sweet, and kind. We were always together, until she had to move away with her mom. Other than that, I draw nothing but blanks. Why do you bring this up all of a sudden?"

Naru ignored Keitaro's question, pressing on with her plan. "Have you ever thought she might have forgotten about the promise? Not just about your name and face, but forgot completely because of the circumstances in her life?"

Keitaro was pained by the thought, but he had to consider it anyway. "I never thought about it like that. I wouldn't think she would forget something like that. But I suppose it's possible. But why are you asking about this?"

Naru looked Keitaro in the eyes. Her vision was beginning to blur due to the tears welling up within her eyes. "What if I could tell you who she is?"

Keitaro's pupils narrowed and his jaw dropped. "What?" he asked reflexively. "You know who she is? But how?"

Naru produced the picture she "borrowed" from Keitaro's parents, holding it up so that the back of the picture was facing Keitaro. "This picture holds the answer. All of your dreams are made into reality with this, Keitaro."

"Where did you get that?" Keitaro asked, his voice quickly becoming more desperate.

"I got this from your parents, who took it when you and your promised girl were playing together at Hinata Sou," Naru answered. Naru took a deep breath. "Do you really want to know who the girl is?"

Keitaro nodded. He was madly in love with Naru, but finally discovering whom the girl of his promise was like a dream come true, just like Naru said.

Naru blinked several tears out of her eyes, letting them roll down her cheeks. "If it could be anyone in the whole world, who would you wish the girl were, Keitaro?" Naru's voice cracked several times asking this question.

Keitaro slowly broke into a smile. "I think you know who that person would be."

Naru nodded, sniffling as she tried to suppress a giggle. "Well, look for yourself." She turned the picture over so the image faced Keitaro and she held it out for him to take.

Keitaro gently, almost apprehensively, took the picture from Naru's hand and looked at it. Naru stepped over next to him so she could look at it as well. Naru could feel Keitaro's breath becoming more labored. She placed a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"

"I never thought in all honesty this could really be true," Keitaro admitted. "I thought it was some pipe dream that the one I was trying to find was right there with me all along. But this picture is no lie. This is really you, right?"

Naru nodded, humming in approval. "I'm sorry that I forgot. A lot of things happened after I moved away."

Keitaro shook his head, tilting his head up to look at Naru. "You don't need to apologize. The truth is, even if it weren't you, I still would have chosen my new promise with you over that girl, no matter what."

Naru felt the lately all-too-common burning sensation in her eyes coming back yet again. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yeah," Keitaro replied gently. "I'm in love with you, Naru. I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you, but I've felt this way about you for a long time."

It was Naru's turn to shake her head. "You don't need to apologize. The truth is, I've hid my own feelings for you for the longest time as well. I hid them from myself as well. Haruka-san told me you stole something from me a while back. I was so naïve, I thought you had stolen some of my panties or something stupid like that."

Naru took Keitaro's hands with her own and pulled them to her chest, placing his hands over her heart. "But I understand now. You stole my heart. And in your letter you tried to give it back to me."

Naru brushed her right hand over Keitaro's cheek. "But I don't want it back. I don't want to imagine going through life without you, because I, too, am in love with you, and have been for a long time."

The end of Naru's confession moved Keitaro moved to tears. He clutched onto her and pulled her into a tight embrace, latching his lips onto hers. Neither cared about the salty taste from their tears as they explored each other's mouths with their tongues. When they came up for air, they clung to each other like two beings trying to meld into one. Keitaro closed his eyes, running a hand through Naru's silky strands of hair, while Naru rested her head on Keitaro's shoulder. She watched as the sun completed its descent into the sea.

Naru was afraid how Keitaro would respond, but she had to ask the question. Without pulling away from Keitaro's arms, she asked, "Will you come back to Hinata Sou with me?" Naru felt Keitaro nod his head favorably, setting her mind at ease.

A stiff, chill breeze from the ocean swept over the couple, snapping them from their embrace. "We should probably get going before it gets too dark," Keitaro suggested.

With one arm wrapped around the back of the other, the couple started their trek back to Hinata Inn. Their arms stayed that way for the whole trip. Nothing could break them apart.

* * *

Shinobu paced around the floor of the common room, glancing every few laps around the area at the clock hanging on the wall. This time, it read 10:20 pm. "Narusegawa-sempai is so late," she noted for at least the twelfth time that evening.

It was enough to even grate on Motoko's nerves. "Would you please relax, Shinobu-chan?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"If anyone can find that guy, it would be her. She's done it before," Kitsune said, swirling around a half-full glass of ice water as she lounged on the sofa. She didn't want to admit it openly, but she was becoming impatient as well. She suspected Motoko of doing the same thing, as she was fidgeting around in her seat just enough to be noticeable by the fox.

Without warning, Su's Dragonball-inspired Keitaro-locating device began to vibrate and sound off bleeps and blips. Su appeared literally out of nowhere and snatched up the device, gazing at it while the others stared at her anxiously.

After a dramatic pause, Su shouted, "He's coming up the stairs right now!"

Kitsune, showing surprising agility, bounded to her feet. "Positions, everyone!"

"Yes, sir!" everyone responded, saluting Kitsune. They all scrambled around the room to prepare for Keitaro's entrance.

Still holding each other arm in arm, Naru and Keitaro ascended the final flight of stairs leading to Hinata Sou. They paused at the top the stairs and stared for a moment at the building looming before them. "I feel like I've been here before," Keitaro joked, teasing a giggle out of Naru. Keitaro closed his eyes and said, "I'm home."

With a reassuring squeeze, Naru said gently, "Welcome home."

Keitaro turned to Naru and the couple shared another kiss before heading inside. Keitaro slid open the door, allowing Naru to enter first. She paused in mid-step just after entering through the portal. "What's the matter?" Keitaro asked, peering through the doorway.

All of the other tenants were lined up side-by-side, standing at attention with their hands folded in front of their waists. All of their eyes brightened when they saw Keitaro, and Shinobu had to forcibly restrain herself from glomping him.

In unison, the four young women bowed deeply at the waist and said, "Welcome, kanrinin-san!"

"What is this?" Keitaro asked, sliding the door closed behind him.

Kitsune was the first to raise her head. "Isn't it obvious? We are greeting our new manager."

"New manager?" Keitaro was puzzled. He was certain the girls had all gone insane in his absence. Or did they manage to force Haruka to step down?

Motoko, always the voice of reason, explained the situation. "The thing is, we all got to talking about how we treated you so poorly without giving you a chance to show us who you really were when you first arrived."

"Except for Shinobu, of course," Su noted. "She always liked you."

"Kaolla-san!" Shinobu exclaimed in surprise, her cheeks turning to a pinkish-tint as she gagged Su with her free hand after locking her in a headlock.

"Anyway," Kitsune said, getting back on track. "We figured we would try starting over again. If you are willing to do the same for us, that is."

Keitaro flashed a smile and nodded curtly. He squeezed Naru's hand for a moment before moving to stand in front of Kitsune. Kitsune bowed in front of Keitaro, which set him slightly off kilter. He had never seen her show this much respect towards anyone, or anything for that matter. "My name is Mitsune Konno. My friends call me Kitsune. It's a pleasure to meet you, kanrinin-san," Kitsune said demurely.

Keitaro bowed in front of Kitsune in return. "The pleasure is all mine. Please call me Keitaro, Kitsune-san. I hope I can call you that?"

"Of course, Keitaro. I hope we can be good friends."

"I hope so, too."

Keitaro stepped over to where Motoko stood. She bowed gracefully in front of Keitaro. "I am Motoko Aoyama. It is a pleasure to meet you." Much to Keitaro's surprise, there was not even a hint of apprehension in Motoko's voice. He could usually tell when she was forcing herself to do something she normally was not comfortable with. He detected no hint of that this time.

"Likewise, Motoko-chan. Let's get along well, okay?"

"Yes," Motoko agreed. She bowed her head once more respectfully.

Shinobu was next. She quickly bowed, trying to hide her flushed face from Keitaro. "I am Shinobu Maehara. Please take good care of me," Shinobu stammered, not realizing the context of her statement until it was already out of her mouth.

Keitaro chuckled and placed a hand on Shinobu's shoulder. Her reflexes caused her to flinch, but she relaxed just as quickly. "Of course, Shinobu-chan. You can count on me," Keitaro replied confidently.

Shinobu raised her head, wiping a tear from her eye and nodding with a weak smile.

Keitaro turned to step towards Su, but she had already moved next to him. Keitaro flinched, jumping back half a pace. Su grinned and extended her right hand towards Keitaro. "Su Kaolla. Nice to meet ya!"

Keitaro peered at Su's hand for a moment, checking to see if it was rigged with some weird shocking device, before taking it with his own. To his relief, he only felt the warmth from Su's hand. "Likewise, Su-chan," Keitaro replied, letting down his guard.

Naru moved next to Kitsune, giving her a hug and a quick smooch on the cheek, while Keitaro stepped back to address all of his tenants. "Thank you all for accepting me as your manager. I promise I will do my best to help make your life easier here at Hinata Sou, however long you choose to stay here."

After sharing a silent moment, from the far end of the common room, the telephone began to ring.

"Who could be calling this late at night?" Keitaro wondered aloud, squinting at the clock, which read quarter until eleven. He dashed over to the phone and picked it up, expecting to hear Haruka's voice, if anyone.

"Hello, Hinata Sou, Keitaro speaking…Doctor Ishii?"

Hearing the doctor's name attracted the attention of the residents, who corralled around Keitaro, listening to him intently.

"Why are you calling at this hour? What? You do? Well…wait! Stop! Dr. Ishii!"

Keitaro turned, seeing all of the girls standing around him with concerned expressions on their faces. His eyes found Naru, and he locked eyes with her. "I don't care anymore, doctor. I don't want to know. I'm happy with things being the way they are right now. If it happens, so be it."

Naru smiled and mouthed, "I love you" at Keitaro, who replied silently, "I love you, too."

"I understand, doctor. My family won't hold you responsible. Yes. Yes, thank you very much. Goodbye." With that, Keitaro returned the receiver to the phone.

* * *

Dr. Ishii hung up his side of the line and quickly redialed another number. After waiting for several rings, the other party picked up.

"Yes, hi, it's me…Yeah, I finally got a hold of him…No, he didn't want to know…I think I understand where he's coming from…He just wants to find out on his own. You can't fault him for that…Yeah, okay…Thanks for your hard work today. I'll see you in the office tomorrow…Bye."

* * *

A few hours after the phone call, everyone had retired to his or her rooms for the night at Hinata Sou. Keitaro sat at his desk, looking over the will he had written earlier in the week, making sure everything was in order, when he heard something sliding on the hardwood floor above him. He turned his head in time to see Naru poke her head through the hole in his ceiling.

"You still awake?" Naru asked.

"Yeah, I can't quite get to sleep."

"Me too…Mind if I come down?" Naru asked sheepishly.

"Sure," Keitaro replied, standing from his desk.

"Okay, help me down, please."

When Keitaro took his position below the hole, he looked up and noticed Naru was not wearing any bottoms. He caught a breathtaking view of Naru's panties and much of her body from underneath her oversized shirt. Keeping his composure, he braced her legs took her slowly into his arms. He paused for a moment, looking into her eyes. She showed no protest for the amazing view she had just allowed him to see.

"You realize that you aren't wearing anything over your underwear, right?" Keitaro asked.

Naru nodded sheepishly. "I want to make up for lost time." Still in his arms, Naru moved her head towards Keitaro and kissed him softly on the neck. This sent a shockwave through Keitaro's body, and he quickly sat down with Naru in his lap so he wouldn't drop her.

With every bit of passion he could muster, Keitaro pulled Naru into him and drove his tongue deep into her mouth. His hands explored her back rubbing up and down over her shirt. Naru ran her hands through Keitaro's hair and over his face and neck, wanting to feel every inch of him.

Keitaro pulled back at last, panting heavily. Naru also heaved in and out, her face completely flushed. "Are you sure this is okay?" Keitaro asked.

Naru nodded vigorously. "I want this more than anything in the world. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything for you, Naru-chan."

"Promise me you will be with me forever."

Keitaro caressed Naru's face and neck. He looked into her eyes and extended his right hand out to her, holding out his pinky.

Naru wrapped her own pinky around Keitaro's. "It's a promise," Keitaro said with a smile.

Naru moved in to kiss Keitaro again, pushing him down onto his futon. The couple melted into one another, and that night their spirits joined and they became one soul bound by an everlasting love. This love would become legendary, told in stories and poems and songs by the descendants of the descendants of all that knew them. This was a love that would never die.

* * *

I loved you for so long, yet I kept it within me.

Within the confines of my heart, where you will always be

I thought it would not be possible for you to feel the same,

To think that was silly, and only I am to blame.

For the chance I had, blew away with the breeze

Gone with the wind, wherever you had pleased.

Not knowing the love I had for you,

Whilst my passion just grew and grew.

To abandon me when I needed you the most,

Now a shadow of my own self, now just a ghost.

I believed you would come back, so there I would wait,

But now I had realized, it may be too late.

You had gone off to forever leave me behind,

My bare heart released from your bind.

So I had tried to love again; the love for you leaving no trace

Though that was just a pointless dream, for you, I can never replace.

* * *

A/N: Credit to darksoulessbody17 for this touching like poem he wrote on the spot after pre-reading this chapter for me. Thanks a lot for the inspiration! I also want to thank all of my readers for being patient with me in getting this last chapter written. You'll notice it's the longest by far, and in my estimation, the best by far. I guess it's time to work on LR now that this is finished!

A/N (story notes): I'm sure there are some smart people out there that noticed Naru's back story with her parents isn't exactly canon, and I just realized this a few days before finishing this chapter. I don't think it's major enough to make a serious difference, and I believe this actually suits her character better. I also considered writing a quick epilogue telling what happened to Keitaro, but I like this open-ended ending better.


	12. Epilogue

Disclaimer: On Prologue

No Pain, No Gain – Epilogue

3 years later…

A chill wind swept through the Hinata Onsen Graveyard, scattering the fall leaves felled from the trees over the gravestones of generations past. The tenants of Hinata Sou, all dressed in the black of mourning, hiked up the grassy hill leading to the Urashima Family's resting place. The group moved in reverent silence, a silence broken only by random sobbing.

A large group had already gathered around the casket lying in the freshly dug grave when Naru and the other girls crested the hill. Many of Hinata Onsen's residents turned out for the passing of a member of the town's family. In such a small community, such gatherings to honor the deceased were commonplace. Seeing so many people sharing her grief, Naru broke down into tears for the third time that morning, falling into Kitsune's arms. Kitsune gladly consoled her friend, fighting back tears herself.

Naru, Kitsune, Motoko, Shinobu and Su eventually found and took their reserved seats at the front and center of the gravesite. Keitaro's mother took Naru's hand and placed it in her lap. The two smiled warmly at each other, their eyes and noses red and puffy from the bitter, cold morning wind and their many tears shed in their grief.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Haruka walked deliberately to stand at the pew in front of the grave. "Good morning," Haruka began. "We meet here today to honor the passing of the former manager of Hinata Sou. For those that knew the situation, we knew this day would come eventually. We are thankful that God granted us a lot more time than we expected to say our goodbyes. However, knowing the inevitability of the death of one close to us does nothing to temper the pain of their passing."

"We will mourn the death, but we will also rejoice that there is a new angel in heaven watching over all of us, no longer suffering from pain or disease. No more suffering from a weakened body, or fear of death and the great unknown that follows. Now, there is only peace, as the Savior has taken His new angel into His arms and said, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.'"

"For us left here on earth, we are left with nothing but the legacy of those that pass before us. And I can think of no other that could talk about the legacy of Hina Urashima than her grandson, and my nephew, Keitaro."

Haruka relinquished the stand as Keitaro stood from his seat on the side reserved for speakers, looking as healthy as ever. Haruka and Keitaro shared a hug before Haruka sat down next to Seta and Sarah. Haruka leaned her head against Seta shoulder and the two held hands.

Keitaro looked out at the gathering, smiling warmly at his wife as she mouthed, "I love you" to him. Letting out a sigh, Keitaro began his speech. "Good morning everyone. Hina Urashima is survived by her two children, Haruka and Satoru. However, her family extends far beyond the boundaries of her name. Narusegawa, Konno, Su, Aoyama, Maehara, she would never hesitate to call any of you a member of her own family."

"It's been almost four years to the day since Granny Hina handed me the deed for Hinata Sou and I became the new full time manager. Honestly, still to this day, I don't fully understand what possessed her to leave her prized possession in the care of a twenty-year-old, irresponsible, two-time ronin. But I know she had her reasons."

"As we near death, and realize that everything we had hoped to accomplish in our lifetimes begins to fade away, what are we left with? Having personally walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I understand that we yearn to look outward from ourselves with our remaining time on this earth. We try to touch other's lives, and hopefully fulfill someone else's dreams."

"Almost twenty years ago, I made a promise with someone very special to me. We were the closest of friends, although we had only known each other for a few months. She was moving away, and we promised to meet again at Tokyo University, because she had heard some rumor that when two people that love each other enter that college, they will find happiness together. Over the years, although the promise was etched into my memory, I forgot the name and the face of that little girl."

"But then, something extraordinary happened. I could not describe it as anything less than divine intervention. Somehow, Granny knew about that promise I made all those years ago, and knew with whom I made that promise. And as luck would have it, that very same girl took up residence in Hinata Sou while Granny was still manager. And even after all that time, Granny remembered who she was and thought of a way to bring us together again. She handed her dream over to me, so I could fulfill my own."

"I am now married to that girl I made that promise with, and our first child is due in spring. Every time I look into that child's eyes, and the children that come after, I will see that eccentric, batty old woman staring right back at me. So what is Hina Urashima's legacy? The truth is, she has not passed away. Her heart has moved into those whose lives she touched, and the lives she helped create. She continues to live on in all of us. Thank you, Granny."

Keitaro stepped down from the stand, and Naru stood and joined her husband. They each held a single, long-stemmed red rose, which they tossed onto the top of the casket. One by one, each member of Hina Urashima's direct and extended family tossed his or her own rose onto the growing pile. After the last rose had been thrown, the entire casket was blanketed in green and red.


End file.
